Even as trade negotiations drag on, India and US have signed a 10-year Defence Framework agreement.
Defence Minister Ranjath Singh and his US counterpart Pete Hegseth finalised the deal on the sidelines of the ASEAN summit in Malaysia.
Defence deal
Rajnath described the deal a "signal" of growing strategic convergence between the two nations.
In a post on social media platform X, Rajnath announced the 'Framework for the US-India Major Defence Partnership'. He said, "This will usher in a new era in our already strong defence partnership."
Sing wrote, "This Defence Framework will provide policy direction to the entire spectrum of the India-US Defence Relationship. It is a signal of our growing strategic convergence and will herald a new decade of partnership."
"Defence will remain as a major pillar of our bilateral relations. Our partnership is critical for ensuring a free, open and rules-based Indo-Pacific region," Singh added.
The deal is aimed at enhancing coordination, information sharing, and technological cooperation between the two nations.
'US-India ties stronger'
Hegseth announced “defence ties have never been stronger” between New Delhi and Washington.
Hegseth said, "The agreement advances our defence partnership, a cornerstone for regional stability and deterrence."
India and US have signed many defence deals in the past. Prime Minister Narendra Modi singed the "U.S.-India COMPACT” deal in February this year.
The deal was aimed at increasing cooperation in areas including military, technology and civil nuclear energy.
But, the new defence deal comes amid the contentious trade negotiations between the two nations.
Remember, US President Donald Trump imposed a 50% tariff on imports from India as a penalty for buying Russian oil.
In the past week, Trump has repeatedly said that India has agreed to cut Russian oil imports, a claim India has refused to confirm.
But with the new defence deal done and US lifting sanctions on India's Chabahar port in Iran, is a trade agreement far behind?
