Key Points and Summary – India has confirmed there are no ongoing discussions to purchase the F-35 fighter, a sharp reversal from President Trump’s offer just months ago.
-This about-face comes amid a rapid downturn in U.S.-India relations, triggered by Trump’s recent threat to impose a 25% tariff on the country.
-The president has publicly criticized India for its high trade barriers and its continued military and energy partnership with Russia during the Ukraine war.
-This new hostility marks a dramatic shift from the friendly “Howdy Modi” era, effectively shelving any potential F-35 deal for the foreseeable future.
The India F-35 Deal Looks RIP
Earlier this year, U.S. President Donald Trump indicated a willingness to sell F-35 stealth fighters to India.
But India’s government has now said there are no ongoing discussions about a potential purchase of Lightning IIs, according to a report by the Hindustan Times.
“No formal discussions have been held as yet on this issue,” Indian Minister of State Kirti Vardhan Singh said in response to a question from the press this week.
An About-Face on F-35 Jets, and Trade
“Starting this year, we will be increasing military sales to India by many billions of dollars. We are also paving the way to ultimately provide India with the F-35 stealth fighters,” Trump said at the White House in February, during a visit to the United States by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Since then, however, relations between the U.S. and India have taken an unexpected downturn.
Per Bloomberg News, India is “weighing options” for how to deal with Trump’s recent threat to impose a 25 percent tariff on goods imported from India to the United States. According to the Bloomberg report, government officials in New Delhi were “shocked and disappointed” by the tariff announcement, and India is “keen to keep bilateral trade talks on track and is exploring ways to increase purchases from its largest trading partner.”
The same Bloomberg report also stated India was ‘not keen’ on the F-35 fighter.
The threat came about as part of Trump’s ultimatum to push “secondary tariffs” on countries that do business with Russia, if the Kremlin fails to deliver a ceasefire in Ukraine by a certain deadline. That deadline is currently set to arrive next week.
Trump has even taken to ripping India on social media.
“Remember, while India is our friend, we have, over the years, done relatively little business with them because their Tariffs are far too high, among the highest in the World, and they have the most strenuous and obnoxious non-monetary Trade Barriers of any Country,” the president said in a Truth Social post. “Also, they have always bought a vast majority of their military equipment from Russia, and are Russia’s largest buyer of ENERGY, along with China, at a time when everyone wants Russia to STOP THE KILLING IN UKRAINE.”
In a later post, the president doubled down.
“I don’t care what India does with Russia. They can take their dead economies down together, for all I care. We have done very little business with India; their Tariffs are too high, among the highest in the World. Likewise, Russia and the USA do almost no business together. Let’s keep it that way,” he said, before appearing to threaten former Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev.
Happier Times
During his first term and the lead-up to his second, Trump never made India a prominent part of his trademark vitriol.
Trump hosted an event called “Howdy Modi” in September 2019. During the event, both Trump and the Indian prime minister addressed a crowd at an NFL stadium in Houston. In February 2020, Modi returned the favor, hosting Trump at a stadium in India.
During the latter visit, the two countries discussed a defense deal, which was formally agreed to the following November. Per Al Jazeera, that deal, known as the Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement for Geo-Spatial Cooperation, was “seen as a last-ditch push by the Trump administration to score a foreign policy success just a week before the U.S. elections.”
“At a time when it is particularly important to uphold a rules-based international order, the ability of India and the US to work closely in defence and foreign policy has a larger resonance,” India’s External Affairs Minister Jaishankar said at the time. “Together, we can make a real difference when it comes to regional and global challenges, whether it is in respecting territorial integrity, promoting maritime domain awareness, countering terrorism or ensuring prosperity.”
About the Author: Stephen Silver
Stephen Silver is an award-winning journalist, essayist, and film critic, and contributor to the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Broad Street Review, and Splice Today. The co-founder of the Philadelphia Film Critics Circle, Stephen lives in suburban Philadelphia with his wife and two sons. For over a decade, Stephen has authored thousands of articles that focus on politics, national security, technology, and the economy. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) at @StephenSilver, and subscribe to his Substack newsletter.
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