4 min readNew DelhiApr 17, 2025 08:14 AM IST
First published on: Apr 16, 2025 at 07:19 PM IST
US Vice President J D Vance, who is going to be in India next week, is scheduled to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi over dinner on April 21.
That is the only confirmed official programme so far, as Vance — accompanied by wife Usha Vance, who is of Indian-origin, and their children — will continue with private engagements, including a wedding in Jaipur, according to sources. During their four-day official visit starting from April 21, they will also go to Agra to see the Taj Mahal, sources said.
Announcing the visit, the White House said in a statement on Wednesday: “Vice President J D Vance and the Second Family will travel to Italy and India from April 18 to 24. The VP will discuss shared economic and geopolitical priorities with leaders in each country… In India, the Vice President will visit New Delhi, Jaipur and Agra. The Vice President will hold meetings with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The Vice President and Second Family will also participate in engagements at cultural sites.”
This will be Vance’s first visit to India — and Asia — since assuming office. The overall India-US bilateral relationship, issue of tariffs, and negotiations on the bilateral trade agreement are expected to come up for discussions during his meeting with Modi.
Confirming Vance’s meeting with Modi on April 21, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said he and his delegation “will have other engagements in Delhi and are also scheduled to visit Jaipur and Agra” before leaving on April 24.
“The visit will provide an opportunity for both sides to review the progress in bilateral relations and the implementation of the outcomes of the India-US joint statement issued on February 13, 2025, during the visit of the Prime Minister to the US. The two sides will also exchange views on regional and global developments of mutual interest,” the MEA said in a statement.
Apart from Vance, senior US administration official Ricky Gill is also expected to come to India next week for a Track II dialogue and meetings with senior Indian government officials. Earlier, there was a possibility of US National Security Advisor Mike Waltz coming to India, but that has been put off for now.
Gill, who is the senior director for South and Central Asian affairs at the National Security Council in the US administration, will be attending the India-US Forum, organised jointly by Delhi-based think tank Ananta Aspen Centre and the Ministry of External Affairs, from April 21-23.
Gill is also expected to meet officials in the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and National Security Council Secretariat, where the India-US tech partnership — under the new framework TRUST (which was launched as iCET under the Biden administration) — is expected to be discussed.
Between Vance and Gill, New Delhi is expecting Washington’s push for a trade deal and increased defence equipment sales. The Trump administration has sent senior officials to India in its first 100 days, starting with Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard in March this year.
Modi was among the first few foreign leaders to visit the White House in February this year, within a month of President Donald Trump taking charge. Before that, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar visited the US twice — in December, and then for Trump’s inauguration in January – giving India a headstart in the relationship.
However, the deportation of illegal Indian immigrants, in shackles and handcuffs, and the tariffs issue have complicated the relationship. With the US pausing the reciprocal tariff on India — along with the rest of the world, except China — for 90 days, New Delhi and Washington are now working on negotiating a bilateral trade agreement.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi with US Vice-President J D Vance, Second Lady Usha Vance and their children. (Photo: Narendra Modi/ X) 
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