India clarifies no talks held on F-35 jets, stresses autonomy in balancing ties with US, Russia

NEW DELHI: India has reaffirmed its commitment to deepening its strategic partnership with the United States, while maintaining its traditional ties with Russia and emphasising sovereign decision-making in defence procurement. External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said on Friday that Indias ties with various countries stand on their own merit and should not be seen from the prism of a third country. India and Russia have a steady and time-tested partnership, he said. Jaiswal pointed out that the India-US relationship is a comprehensive global strategic partnership anchored in shared interests, democratic values, and robust people-to-people ties, noting that the partnership has endured several transitions and challenges. He added, We remain focused on the substantive agenda that our two countries have committed to and are confident that the relationship will continue to move forward. Addressing a question on defence cooperation, Jaiswal said: We have a strong defence partnership with the U.S., which has been strengthening over the last several years. There is potential for this partnership to grow further under the India-U.S. COMPACT for the 21st century. At the same time, India made it clear that its ties with other countries, including Russia, are not shaped by third-party considerations. Meanwhile, the Indian government informed Parliament that no formal discussions have taken place with the United States regarding the acquisition of F-35 fighter jets, despite the topic being alluded to in a bilateral statement earlier this year. In a written response to a question from Congress MP Balwant Baswant Wankhade, Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh said: No formal discussions have been held as yet on this issue. The query concerned whether the U.S. had made any official proposal to India regarding the sale of F-35 aircraft, following President Donald Trumps public reference to such a possibility during Prime Minister Narendra Modis February visit to Washington. While the India-U.S. joint statement issued on February 13 mentioned a potential policy review by Washington on the transfer of advanced military platforms, including the F-35 and undersea technologies, Singh confirmed that no dialogue has taken place to date. Indias response underscores its strategic autonomy and careful approach to military modernisation, balancing enhanced cooperation with the U.S. alongside a pragmatic, long-standing partnership with Russia.