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Agence France-Presse

Peru’s foreign and defence ministers resigned on Wednesday in protest over the interim president’s decision to stall a US$3.5 billion deal for the purchase of 24 US F-16 fighter jets.
The ministers said the deal had already been signed and that to cast doubt on it now jeopardised Peru’s reputation as a trading partner.
Despite the president’s declared wish to suspend the purchase, the Ministry of Economy announced late Wednesday that it had transferred US$462 million as part of an initial payment for the contract with aircraft manufacturer, Lockheed Martin.
The confusion over the purchase and the abrupt resignations deepened instability gripping the South American country, after a recent election to choose the country’s ninth president in a decade descended into chaos.
No candidate emerged with an outright majority, meaning a run-off election would be held June 7.
Interim president Jose Maria Balcazar said on Tuesday he would leave it up to the victor to finalise the jets deal.

The US ambassador to Peru, businessman Bernardo Navarro, on Friday issued a warning widely believed to relate to the agreement.
“If you deal with the US in bad faith and undermine US interests, rest assured, I, on behalf of @POTUS Trump and his administration, will use every available tool to protect and promote the prosperity and security of the United States and our region,” Navarro wrote on X.
He later told Exitosa radio station that the deal was for two squadrons of 12 F-16 fighter jets, with the first 12 to start arriving in 2029.
On Wednesday, Balcazar went on state TV to assure Peruvians that he was “not seeking confrontation with the United States”.
He said he halted the defence deal to ensure that public funds were “used appropriately, reasonably, in accordance with the significant social gaps we have to address in the country”.
Foreign Minister Hugo de Zela said the decision “endangers our country and undermines its credibility”.

He claimed the contracts for the F-16s were signed on Monday, after being approved by the National Defence Council, and that an initial payment was due on Wednesday.
Defence Minister Carlos Diaz said the purchase of jets was not political but “for the security and defence of the nation”.
Balcazar, who replaced a previous interim leader who was impeached, denied on Tuesday that the sale of the jets had already gone through.
His term ends on July 28.
Congress President Fernando Rospigliosi urged Balcazar to honour the deal with the United States to avoid a “political, legal and geopolitical problem”.
Ultraconservative congressman Jorge Montoya suggested making Balcazar the fifth president in 10 years to be impeached.
In October 2024, Peru announced that it would renew its ageing air defence fleet with the purchase of state-of-the-art fighter jets.
A state evaluation committee last year chose the F-16s over rival bids from France’s Rafale and Sweden’s Gripens, citing technical and geopolitical criteria.
Peru currently has 12 Mirage 2000 aircraft, according to defence publications.
Its combat fleet also includes Russian MiG-29s and Belarusian Sukhoi Su-27s, most of which were inoperative or in reserve.
The deal with the United States has become swept up in a presidential election marred by logistical problems, unsubstantiated fraud allegations and delays to the ballot count.
Ten days after Peruvians voted in the first round, it was still not known who would face off against conservative front runner Keiko Fujimori in June’s second round.
Ultraconservative former Lima mayor Rafael Lopez Aliaga was locked in a tight race with leftist ex-minister Roberto Sanchez for the second run-off spot.
Lopez Aliaga has alleged election fraud and called for the vote to be annulled.
The final results have been delayed by legal challenges.


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Americas and the Caribbean

A US Air Force F-16 fighter jet. Photo: AP

Peru’s interim president Jose Maria Balcazar. Photo: Peru Presidency via AFP

Presidential candidate Keiko Fujimori. Photo: AP

Peru presidential run-off looms as Fujimori leads troubled vote

Keiko Fujimori after voting on Sunday. Photo: AP 

People wait in a queue to vote in Lima. Photo: Reuters

An electoral worker handles a ballot. Photo: Reuters

Peruvian presidential candidate Keiko Fujimori (C) speaks at a press conference in Lima on Monday. Photo: EPA

Peru set to choose from a bewildering array of 35 presidential hopefuls

Peruvian presidential candidate Keiko Fujimori. Photo: Reuters

Some of Peru’s presidential candidates. Photo: AFP

The Presidential Palace in Lima. Photo: AFP

US will help Peru ‘take back’ Chancay port from China, Congress chair says

Boats in the water, in front of cranes at the Chinese-built Chancay megaport operated by Cosco Shipping, in Chancay, Peru. Photo: Reuters

Peru’s President Jose Jeri ousted after ‘Chifagate’ scandal tied to Chinese contractor

Peru’s Congress ousted President Jose Jeri on Tuesday after just four months in office, following a scandal over undisclosed meetings with a Chinese businessman, continuing a revolving door of leaders in the South American nation. Photo: AFP

A Lima commuter cycles past a wall covered with graffiti supporting Jeri’s Peruvian political party Somos Peru (We Are Peru). Photo: AFP

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Peru’s interim president defers decision on the US$3.5 billion deal to his successor who will emerge from a run-off vote in June


Peru’s interim president defers decision on the US$3.5 billion deal to his successor who will emerge from a run-off vote in June.


Peru’s defence and foreign ministers quit in protest over stalled US F-16 jet deal

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Peru’s interim president defers decision on the US$3.5 billion deal to his successor who will emerge from a run-off vote in June

Peru’s interim president defers decision on the US$3.5 billion deal to his successor who will emerge from a run-off vote in June