India and US plan to strengthen defense ties with F-35 jet sales

India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi and U.S. President Donald Trump announced plans to enhance defense cooperation, including the sale of F-35 fighter jets. This marks a significant step in the U.S.-India strategic relationship. The leaders plan to sign a new 10-year defense framework, focusing on military cooperation across various domains. They aim to improve logistics and intelligence sharing for overseas military deployments in the Indo-Pacific region. Despite these developments, India remains heavily reliant on Russian arms, which account for about 60% of its defense equipment. Experts note that reducing this dependency will take time, even with increased U.S. cooperation.