Rajnath postpones U.S. visit; defence purchases unaffected

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has postponed his visit to the U.S., which was originally scheduled for the last week of August.

According to sources, the visit has been deferred — not cancelled, as earlier reported — and is likely to take place within the next couple of months.

The development comes against the backdrop of U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to refuse trade talks with India until the tariff issue is resolved, alongside the imposition of 50% import tariffs on Indian goods. Mr. Trump had increased the tariff – originally 25% – to 50%, citing India’s imports of crude oil from Russia, which is facing sanctions over its war with Ukraine.

U.S.’s invite

On July 1, U.S. Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth held a telephonic conversation with Mr. Singh — their third this year — during which he invited the Defence Minister to the U.S. for an in-person meeting to advance bilateral defence cooperation.

“The two discussed pending major U.S. defence sales to India and the imperative of close defence industrial cooperation between the two countries. Secretary Hegseth and Minister Singh agreed to sign the next 10-year U.S.-India Defence Framework when they next meet this year,” the U.S. Embassy and Consulates in India said in a statement following the July 1 call.

The statement also highlighted that Secretary Hegseth had emphasised the priority the U.S. places on India as its key defence partner in South Asia.

Fabricated, say officials

Meanwhile, sources in the Ministry of Defence have rejected reports suggesting that India has paused talks on major defence purchases from the U.S. in response to the imposition of the tariff.

“The news reports on India pausing talks related to defence purchases with the U.S. are false and fabricated. Various procurement cases are being progressed as per extant procedures,” defence officials clarified.

Sources further said that defence supplies from the U.S. continue to arrive under existing contracts, with no pause to orders currently in the pipeline.