US Governance — 2026-04-22

Peru defense and foreign ministers resign after president postpones $3.5B Lockheed F-16 buy; US ambassador warns of bad-faith consequences

Peruvian Defense Minister Carlos Diaz and Foreign Minister Hugo de Zela resigned on April 22 after interim President Jose Balcazar canceled a signing ceremony for the acquisition of Lockheed Martin F-16 fighter aircraft hours before it was scheduled to occur. De Zela told Radio RPP the deal comprised an initial $2B tranche and a second $1.5B phase, and said contracts were signed on Monday with Lockheed Martin despite the president's pushback. Diaz's resignation letter cited a strategic disagreement on a national security decision. Within hours US Ambassador Bernie Navarro issued a statement that Washington will use all available tools against parties negotiating in bad faith with the United States, as reported by Bloomberg and Reuters. The dispute comes weeks before Peru's general election.

Analysis
Navarro's bad-faith warning, unusually direct for a contract-reversal scenario and corroborated across multiple outlets, signals that Washington reads Balcazar's postponement as an election-timed political play, not a genuine capability reassessment. That framing very likely reshapes US FMS negotiating posture across Latin America in the coming months, as a Peruvian walkaway would hand Gripen, Rafale, and KF-21 a live test case for undercutting US export terms in the region. Balcazar's move may instead reflect a principled judgment that a transitional presidency should not lock in a 30-year platform commitment, in which case Navarro's threat is a diplomatic overreach that hardens domestic opposition rather than softening it. Expect US Embassy Lima to escalate from warning to concrete export-license or trade-preference action within the coming weeks if the signed contracts are not reaffirmed.

4 sources

Key Peru Ministers Resign Over President's Handling of F-16 Deal - Bloomberg
Peru defense minister resigns amid postponement of F-16 aircraft purchase - Reuters via Investing.com
Peru Pauses $3.5B F-16 Deal; Washington Warns Lima - Rio Times
Peru Foreign Minister Hugo de Zela announces resignation over delay in purchase of F-16 planes - CGTN