India reportedly declined the opportunity to purchase a fleet of MQ-9 Reaper drones from the United States that would have cost the country more than $3 billion.
Officials told U.S. News & World Report that an agreement with India for the drones with the capability of long-range precision strikes fell through in spite of hopes from Secretary of Defense Mark Esper and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo that one could be completed before the election on Tueday.
Pompeo and Esper were in New Delhi this week as part of the 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue, a meeting to elevate the U.S.-India relationship, which the Trump administration has prioritized during its first term.
Indian officials are looking to build out their defenses against regional foes such as China; violent clashes between the two have taken place this year along the contested Himalayan border. The Trump administration has heeded these concerns and pushed to arm the Indians in an effort to contain and deter China on the Asian continent, a top item of Trump’s foreign policy doctrine.
The Trump administration has made significant inroads with Indian officials, including Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who joined Trump in Houston for a rally in front of 50,000 people in September 2019.
It is unclear why the Indian government refused to purchase the drones. India’s Ministry of External Affairs did not reply to an inquiry from the outlet.
