By Marco Aquino and Lucinda Elliott
LIMA, April 22 (Reuters) – Peru’s government made a $462 million payment on Wednesday for U.S. F-16 fighter jets, the first installment in a multi-billion-dollar deal that triggered the resignation of two top ministers earlier in the day.
The payment follows a period of uncertainty over the deal. Defense Minister Carlos Diaz and Foreign Minister Hugo de Zela stepped down Wednesday citing opposition to interim President Jose Balcazar’s handling of the negotiations.
“A strategic decision has been taken in the area of national security with which I have a fundamental disagreement,” Diaz said in his resignation letter.
The political fallout comes as the United States mounts its most assertive push in years to shore up influence in Peru, a major copper producer where China has become a key strategic partner.
Peru has spent years negotiating with different firms to modernize its aging fighter jet fleet of Mirage 2000 and MiG‑29 aircraft acquired in the 1980s and 1990s. Peru is looking to eventually acquire a total of 24 jets, but a first deal was expected to be for 12.
Balcazar, who leaves office in July, said in a televised statement on Wednesday that his earlier remarks suggesting the purchase had been delayed were “misinterpreted.” He said that while the agreement had moved forward, the bulk of the financial commitment would fall to the incoming government.
The interim leader had stoked confusion when he canceled a signing ceremony last Friday for the acquisition of Lockheed Martin F‑16 jets just hours before it was scheduled to take place, citing concerns over tying the next government to a major defense commitment.
U.S. Ambassador Bernie Navarro responded sharply to the confusion, posting on X on Friday that Washington would use “all available tools” against parties that negotiate “in bad faith.”
Navarro on Wednesday however told media that a payment had already been made to U.S. firm Lockheed Martin Corp and that the first aircraft were expected to arrive between 2029 and 2030.
The U.S. State Department approved the potential sale of F‑16 aircraft and related support to Peru in September, with Lockheed Martin as the principal contractor, alongside General Electric Aerospace and RTX Corp, in a deal valued at an estimated $3.42 billion, the Pentagon said at the time.
In January, the White House designated Peru a major non-NATO ally, a move that would deepen defense cooperation and expand access to trade and security programs. The U.S. State Department has also approved an equipment package to help modernize a naval base near the port of Callao.
(Reporting by Marco Aquino and Lucinda Elliott; Additional reporting by Natalia Siniawski; Editing by Cassandra Garrison, Rod Nickel and Stephen Coates)
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