India no longer wants "made in the USA" weapons? Donald Trump's tariffs upset Delhi

"I hereby certify that the Government of India currently imports crude oil directly and indirectly from Russia . Therefore, in accordance with applicable law, goods from India imported into the customs territory of the United States are subject to an additional tariff of 25 percent, " Donald Trump explained on social media.

The additional duties will raise the tariff rate on Indian goods to 50 percent. According to Goldman Sachs analysts, after taking into account all the exclusions included in the regulation, the total effective US tariff rate on Indian imports will be approximately 32 percentage points. They estimate that the implementation of the new duties could slow India's GDP by a total of 0.6 percentage points.

Given these prospects, will Delhi reconsider its economic relations with Russia? The British Times believes not, as this would jeopardize India's position as a regional power.

Reuters, meanwhile, reports that India has already expressed its dissatisfaction with the US move by canceling Defense Minister Rajnath Singh's planned visit to Washington in the coming weeks. On that occasion , Singh was scheduled to announce the purchase of six Boeing P8I reconnaissance aircraft and support systems for the Indian Navy. According to Reuters sources, talks regarding the purchase of the aircraft, worth $3.6 billion, were at an advanced stage.

There has been no official decision to suspend purchases. The government claims that everything is proceeding according to procedures.

The agency also reported that talks regarding India's purchase of Stryker combat vehicles and Javelin anti-tank missiles have been suspended due to U.S. tariffs. Sources cited by Reuters, however, point out that no written instructions have been issued to suspend the purchases, which could be implemented once India gains clarity on tariffs and the direction of bilateral relations.

After Reuters published the report, the Indian government issued a statement calling the reports of the suspension of talks "false and fabricated" and stating that the process was being carried out in accordance with "applicable procedures."

This isn't the first recent sign that India might be "revising" its plans for American weapons. In early August, Bloomberg reported that Delhi, ostensibly due to localization issues, had rejected a US offer to buy F-35 fighter jets and might opt for the Russian Su-57 instead. Bloomberg also claimed that the Indian government likely wouldn't approve any significant defense deals with the US in the near future.