Rajnath Singh to Meet U.S. Counterpart in Malaysia Amid Trade, Defence Strains

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh is set to meet his U.S. counterpart Pete Hegseth in Malaysia on Friday on the sidelines of the ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting, in a bid to ease tensions triggered by U.S. trade tariffs and to revive stalled bilateral defence engagement, Indian officials said.

This will be the first meeting between the two ministers, and discussions are expected to cover India’s planned purchase of six Boeing P-8I maritime patrol aircraft for the Navy and a new India–U.S. defence cooperation framework, officials added.

“The meeting is expected to yield positive outcomes and pave the way for a high-level bilateral visit — either Hegseth to India or Singh to Washington,” one official said, requesting anonymity.

A scheduled meeting between the two leaders in Washington in August was cancelled after relations soured following U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to double tariffs on Indian imports to 50%, citing India’s continued purchase of Russian oil.

However, the two nations are now seeking to rebuild ties after Indian refiners cut Russian oil imports following fresh U.S. sanctions on Moscow’s top crude exporters. Trump, currently touring Asia, told reporters in Seoul that he wished to reach a trade deal with India soon.

New Delhi has maintained that it is being “unfairly targeted” despite Western nations continuing to import Russian energy “when it suits their interests.”

The Indian Defence Ministry said Singh will also address the ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting on November 1 in Kuala Lumpur.