Relations between Washington et New Delhi cross a new zone of turbulence. According to the specialized site Indian Defence Research Wingthe project to acquire six maritime patrol planes P-8I Poseidon could be relaunched if a appeasement occurs on the commercial front or if the price of the operation is revised downwards. This question is part of an already tense climate, marked by persistent strategic and economic disagreements between the two countries.
A blockage linked to divergent strategic choices
The break in this file occurs shortly after the decision to India to abandon the idea Buy F-35 fighters from Lockheed Martin. At the same time, the American president Donald Trump Openly criticized Russian arms purchases by New Delhia point of friction which has been strengthened since the trigger of the war in Ukraine In 2022.
Since the start of the conflict and in a context of Western sanctions against the Russia, India has become one of its main outlets for hydrocarbon exports. Imported volumes have jumped to reach Nearly $ 60 billion over the recent period. Washington considers that these exchanges indirectly feed Moscow’s military capacities, This justified a hardening of its trade policy vis-Ã -vis New Delhi.
A tariff climbing that tenses relationships
August 6, Donald Trump decided to establish 25 % additional customs duties on Indian exports for the United Statesbelieving that the lack of reduction in Russian oil purchases was a strategic risk.
Indiafor his part, reject what she interprets as a double standard by evoking the Chine which does not undergo a sanction of the same order. New Delhi also insists on the value of its partnership with Moscow, that she considers as a pillar of her energy and military policy, and affirms that no power, even an ally, can dictate her sovereign choices. This position feeds bilateral tensions already nourished by disagreements on military and technological cooperation.
A strategic issue for the Indian Navy
For the Indian navy, have P-8I Poseidon Additional is not a luxury but an operational necessity. Naval forces believe that at least park 18 devices is essential to monitor effectively Maritime activities, in particular those of Chinese submarines and research vessels in areas deemed sensitive.
If the freeze on negotiations were to be extended, India could be faced with a strategic dilemma: preserve its diplomatic autonomy while seeking to maintain a level of military cooperation with the UNITED STATES sufficient to guarantee its maritime security.
