Trump says US to provide F-35 stealth jets to India, increase military sales by 'many billions of dollars'

President Donald Trump on Thursday said that the United States will be increasing military sales to India by "many billions of dollars" and will pave the way to ultimately provide India with the F-35 Stealth fighters 'starting this year', eventually making New Delhi part of the elite club of countries with state-of-the-art stealth jets.

Trump's comments came during a joint news conference with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi after their much-anticipated meeting during the Indian leader's crucial visit to the US.

"Starting this year, we will be increasing military sales to India by many billions of dollars. We are also paving the way to ultimately provide India with the F-35 Stealth fighters," Trump said while addressing the media.

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"In 2017, my administration revived the Quad security partnership, and in our meeting today, the PM and I reaffirmed the strong cooperation between the US, India, Australia and Japan, and it is crucial really to maintain peace, prosperity, tranquillity in the Indo-Pacific," he added.

Aero India 2025

Recently in India during the Aero India 2025 international airshow, a Russian Su-57 Felon next-generation fighter shared the tarmac with a US-made F-35 stealth fighter. Both jets are the world's most advanced fifth-generation fighter aircraft.

In a statement, the Defence Ministry said, "It marks a milestone in global defence collaboration and technological advancement, offering aviation enthusiasts and defence experts an unparalleled prospect to witness these state-of-the-art warplanes."

(With inputs from agencies)