PM Modi, US Vice President Vance welcome ‘significant progress’ in negotiations for India-US bilateral trade agreement

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi met US Vice President J D Vance on Monday and welcomed the “significant progress” in the negotiations for a mutually beneficial India-US Bilateral Trade Agreement focused on the welfare of the people of the two countries.

They also noted continued efforts to enhance cooperation in energy, defence, strategic technologies, and other areas. The two leaders also exchanged views on various regional and global issues of mutual interest, and called for dialogue and diplomacy as the way forward.

Vice President Vance was accompanied by the Second Lady Usha Vance, their children, and senior members of the US Administration. “Prime Minister fondly recalled his visit to Washington DC in January and his fruitful discussions with President Trump, which laid down the roadmap for close cooperation between India and the US, leveraging the strengths of Make America Great Again (MAGA) and Viksit Bharat 2047,” the release said.

#WATCH | PM Modi welcomes US Vice President JD Vance and Second Lady Usha Vance and their children to his official residence at Lok Kalyan Marg in Delhi pic.twitter.com/cbKUrPsjkv

— ANI (@ANI) April 21, 2025

Prime Minister Modi and Vice President Vance reviewed and positively assessed the progress in various areas of bilateral cooperation. “They welcomed the significant progress in the negotiations for a mutually beneficial India-US Bilateral Trade Agreement focused on the welfare of the people of the two countries. Likewise, they noted continued efforts towards enhancing cooperation in energy, defence, strategic technologies and other areas. The two leaders also exchanged views on various regional and global issues of mutual interest, and called for dialogue and diplomacy as the way forward,” the release said.

The Prime Minister extended his best wishes to the Vice President, the Second Lady, and their children for a pleasant and productive stay in India. He also conveyed his warm greetings to President Trump and said that he looked forward to his visit to India later this year.

The US Vice President, who is on a four-day official visit to India, arrived in the national capital on Monday. This is Vice President Vance’s first visit to India. He will also visit Jaipur and Agra before departing for Washington DC.

The high-level visit comes amid trade negotiations between the two countries following the US decision to impose reciprocal tariffs on several countries, including India. The US has reduced new tariff rates on most of its trade partners to 10 per cent for 90 days to allow trade negotiations. (ANI)