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LIMA, Peru — <\/span>Peru\u2019s defense and foreign ministers resigned Wednesday following an announcement by the country’s interim president to defer the decision on a $3.5 billion deal<\/a> for U.S. F-16 fighter jets to his successor who will emerge from a presidential runoff vote in June<\/a>.<\/p>\n Last week, interim President Jos\u00e9 Mar\u00eda Balc\u00e1zar<\/a> said he lacks the legitimacy as a temporary leader to make the commitment to buy 24 fighter jets manufactured by U.S.-based Lockheed Martin<\/a> and that his successor should make the decision.<\/p>\n \u201cFor us to commit such a large sum of money to the incoming government would be a poor practice for a transitional government,\u201d Balc\u00e1zar said at the time.<\/p>\n U.S. Ambassador Bernie Navarro reacted to the announcement, saying on X that if Peru \u201cnegotiates in bad faith\u201d or undermines U.S. interests, he would take measures at his disposal. He did not elaborate.<\/p>\n On Wednesday, both Defense Minister Carlos D\u00edaz and Foreign Minister Hugo de Zela stepped down. <\/p>\n D\u00edaz’s resignation letter, obtained by The Associated Press, said that postponing the purchase \u201ccould compromise” Peru’s interests. Both ministers said at a news conference that they had unsuccessfully tried to persuade Balc\u00e1zar to follow through on the deal. <\/p>\n D\u00edaz said that even without Balc\u00e1zar’s approval, officials from the Ministry of Defense signed the contract on Monday for the purchase of the aircraft, as stipulated under the deal.<\/p>\n Speaking to a local radio station, de Zela accused Balc\u00e1zar of misleading the public about the contract. D\u00edaz noted that specific details of the deal remain undisclosed because of their classified nature.<\/p>\n In 2024, the government of then-President Dina Boluarte<\/a> announced that Peru would allocate $3.5 billion to the purchase of 24 fighter jets through domestic borrowing of $2 billion in 2025 and $1.5 billion in 2026. Among the companies that submitted bids were, in addition to Lockheed Martin, the Swedish Saab and the French Dassault Aviation.<\/p>\n Peru\u2019s Congress in February elected Balc\u00e1zar as the country\u2019s eighth president in a decade<\/a>, replacing another interim leader who was ousted the previous day<\/a> over corruption allegations just four months into his term.<\/p>\n Peru is holding a presidential runoff on June 7 even as votes are still being counted and officials are sifting through tally sheets arriving from remote areas and Peruvian consulates abroad following the first round on April 12.<\/p>\n ___<\/p>\n Follow AP\u2019s coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at https:\/\/apnews.com\/hub\/latin-america<\/a><\/p>\n . <\/p>\n<\/div>\n