New Delhi: The Ministry of Defence on Friday denied media reports claiming that India has paused defence procurement talks with the United States in response to recent tariff hikes by President Donald Trump.

Terming the reports as “false and fabricated,” Defence Ministry officials clarified that “various cases of procurement are being progressed as per the extant procedures.”

This clarification follows a Reuters report citing Indian officials, which claimed that New Delhi had temporarily put on hold plans to purchase key US-made defence equipment. According to the report, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh’s planned visit to Washington, during which announcements were expected, was also cancelled.

The reported purchases included Stryker armoured vehicles from General Dynamics, Javelin anti-tank missiles from Raytheon and Lockheed Martin and six Boeing P-8I reconnaissance aircraft for the Indian Navy, in a proposed deal worth approximately $3.6 billion.

The move, according to the report, was said to reflect India’s dissatisfaction with President Trump’s decision to impose an additional 25% tariff on Indian exports due to its continued purchase of Russian oil bringing the total levy to 50%, among the highest on any US trade partner.

While the Reuters report suggested that the defence deals could move forward once the broader trade issues are resolved, the Indian government maintained that there is no pause in defence-related talks or procurement processes with the United States.