Defence Minister Rajnath Singh is likely to meet his US counterpart Pete Hegseth on Friday in Malaysia, even as both the countries are attempting to de-escalate tensions caused by the punitive tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump. The two leaders will be meeting on the sidelines of the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) defence ministers' gathering.
The ASEAN Defence Ministers' Meeting Plus (ADMM-Plus) will be held in Kuala Lumpur on Saturday.
India and the US have a robust defence partnership, with New Delhi integrating various weapons systems into its military, including C-130J Super Hercules, C-17 Globemaster III and P-8I Poseidon aircraft, as well as the CH-47F Chinook, MH-60R Sea Hawk and AH-64E Apache.
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According to media reports, the two are expected to discuss India's plans to procure military hardware from Washington, including long-range maritime patrol aircraft Boeing P-8 Poseidon for the Indian Navy, worth over $2 billion. The two leaders are also expected to discuss the India-US defence cooperation framework.
The meeting may also result in the two deciding on a bilateral visit.
“It is expected that the meeting will yield positive outcomes and pave the way for a bilateral visit, of either Hegseth to India or Singh to Washington,” news agency Reuters quoted an official as saying.
There was a meeting planned between Singh and Hegseth in August. However, this was cancelled in the wake of the tariffs imposed by Trump over India's purchase of Russian oil.
