Vance, Modi welcomes significant progress in India-US trade agreement

• Modi says she looks forward to Trump’s visit to India this year.
• To a large extent personal four -day visit to India.
• Critical timetable as India-US is discussing the trade agreement: Analyst.

US Vice President JD Vance and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi have greeted significant progress in talks on an early trade agreement between the two countries, according to their offices on Monday, as New Delhi sinks to avoid US invoices and boost their ties.

Vance arrived in India earlier on Monday for a largely personal four -day visit to the country with his family, which includes a visit to Taj Mahal and speech to Jaipur city, US officials said.

The two leaders also made continuing efforts to enhance cooperation in energy, defense and strategic technologies, among other things, a statement from Modi’s office after conversations between them.

They discussed regional and global issues and demanded dialogue and diplomacy as far as the way forward, he said, repeating a standard Indian line about global conflicts without saying anyone.

New Delhi has previously used this wording for the war in Ukraine.

“The prime minister transferred his warm greetings to President Trump and said he was looking forward to his visit to India later this year,” he added.

A statement from Vance’s office said the two leaders had agreed on a march map for further trade discussions. He said that a bilateral trade agreement “presents the opportunity to negotiate a new and modern trade agreement that focuses on promoting job creation and prosperity in both countries”.

Vance’s wife, Usha, is the daughter of Indian immigrants.

Vance landed in New Delhi after a visit to Rome, where he held a private meeting with Pope Francis on Easter Sunday.

Modi and Vance examined and positively evaluated progress in various areas of bilateral cooperation described in February when the Indian leader met with President Donald Trump in Washington. It includes “justice” in their two -way trade and increases their defense cooperation.

‘You need in accordance with the largest commercial partner’

India’s prime minister was one of the first world leaders to meet with Trump after taking up his duties, and Reuters said his government was open to reduce tariffs to more than half of the US imports, which worth a total of $ 41.8 billion.

However, the US president continued to call India as a “teachers” and “tariff king”.

“We are very positive that the visit will give a further impetus to our bilateral ties,” India Ministry spokesman Randhir Jaiswal told reporters on Thursday, talking about Vance’s commitments to India.

The US is India’s largest trading partner and their two -way bilateral trade has reached $ 129 billion in 2024, with a surplus of $ 45.7 billion in favor of India, US trade data shows.

New Delhi officials expect to reach a trade agreement with the US within 90 days of cessation for the pricing hikes announced by Trump on April 9 for major commercial partners, including Delhi.

India hopes to “positively” the first part of the commercial pact from this autumn, India Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman told San Francisco on Monday as it began on a journey full of commitments between the two nations.

“Long and non -involvement with the US is not only for this mutual invoice, but in the interests … the largest trading partner with whom we must have agreement,” Sitharaman said in an address in the Indian diaspora.

Vance’s tour of India is also considered to be setting the ground for Trump’s visit to the country later in the year for the Quad Group leaders’ summit that includes India, Australia, Japan and the US.

Harsh Pant, head of foreign policy at the think tank of the Observer’s Research Foundation in Delhi, said the timetable for Vance’s visit was critical in the context of trade talks.

“The fact that US-China tensions are growing and Vance seems to have also taken a very high profile in American diplomacy also means that the visit is taking on an additional layer of significance,” he said.