US pushing India to seal big armed drone deal during Modi’s visit: Report

US President Joe Biden's administration is reportedly pushing India to overcome its bureaucratic hurdles in order to progress a deal for buying a dozen American-made armed drones, as it seeks to deepen military ties between the two countries in a bid to “weaken” Russia and China.

The push aimed at securing the purchase of MQ-9B SeaGuardian drones comes as Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is due to visit Washington on June 22, two sources familiar with the matter told Reuters on Tuesday.

The sources went on to say that since the date for Modi's visit is fixed, the US has urged India to be able to "show" progress on the deal to purchase MQ-9B SeaGuardian drones that could be worth $2 billion to $3 billion for years.

During the visit, Modi and Biden are also expected to discuss the co-production of munitions and ground vehicles, like armored personnel carriers, the sources added.

US signals U-turn on plans to sanction India over purchasing Russian oil

The US is backpedaling on its planned sanctioning of India over its increasing purchase of crude oil from Russia.

India has long expressed interest in buying MQ-9B SeaGuardian drones, made by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, from the United States.

However, New Delhi has to generate an "Acceptance of Necessity" internal document, an Indian precursor to a formal "Letter of Request", which kicks off the foreign military sale process, the sources said.

As of Tuesday, the sources did not know whether New Delhi had generated the necessary internal document.

A senior Biden administration official said Washington thinks it would be good for New Delhi to go through with the purchase of MQ-9s, this is a decision the government of India needs to make.

Currently, India is leasing MQ-9Bs as part of an intelligence-gathering operation.

The latest development comes as Biden has made deepening military ties with India a cornerstone of his policy to counter Russia and China's growing influence.

The US president has placed special attention this year on collaboration between the two countries on advanced military technologies, despite their lack of a formal security alliance.

India to continue buying oil from ‘time-tested partner’ Russia, defying US pressure

Despite pressure from the United States and other Western states, Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar has said India will continue buying Russian oil as it is advantageous for the country.

Earlier this week, the two governments concluded a defense "road map" during US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin's two-day visit to New Delhi.

That could mean faster approvals for New Delhi as it tries to acquire hi-tech weaponry from Washington while opening up the possibility of the joint production of defense equipment.

Analysts say these agreements might be Washington’s way to slowly wean India off its reliance on Russia for military hardware and spare parts, and is part of a broader Western push to sell arms to New Delhi.

It would also make New Delhi strong enough to be part of a strategy to “balance and deter” China, they added.

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