Vance Arrives in India to Begin 4-Day Visit With His Family

The U.S. vice president and India’s prime minister are expected to discuss America’s $45.6 billion trade deficit with India.

U.S. Vice President JD Vance arrives in New Delhi, India, on April 21, 2025. Kenny Holston/The New York Times via AP

U.S. Vice President JD Vance arrived in India on Monday for a four-day visit during which he will hold talks with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The United States is India’s largest trading partner, but a trade deficit of $45.6 billion in India’s favor exists between the two countries.

Modi and Vance are expected to review progress made following the prime minister’s White House meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump in February.

After their Feb. 13 meeting, Trump said, “We can make up the difference very easily with the deficit, with the sale of oil and gas, [liquefied natural gas], of which we have more than anybody in the world.”

A spokesperson for India’s Ministry of External Affairs, Randhir Jaiswal, told reporters on April 17, “We are very positive that the visit will give a further boost to our bilateral ties.”

The United States and India are also exploring a bilateral trade agreement.

On April 2, Trump unveiled a list of reciprocal tariffs against other countries, including India, for which the rate set was 26 percent.

In a factsheet published that day, the White House said, “President Trump is working to level the playing field for American businesses and workers by confronting the unfair tariff disparities and non-tariff barriers imposed by other countries.”

The White House noted that India imposed a 70 percent tariff on imported cars, while the United States previously imposed a 2.5 percent tariff on the same product.

During his visit to Washington, Modi said he was open to reducing tariffs on U.S. goods, repatriating Indian nationals living illegally in the United States, and buying more military equipment.

On April 9, Trump announced a 90-day pause on his reciprocal tariffs, except for China.

The 26 percent tariff on India was reduced to 10 percent, pending talks.

Financial markets slumped in the wake of the reciprocal tariffs being announced but rebounded following Trump’s April 9 pause. The S&P 500 gained 474.13 points, or 9.52 percent, to end at 5,456.90, its largest one-day point gain on record and its biggest single-day percentage gain since 2008.

Fighter Jet Decision

India has traditionally bought much of its military hardware from Russia, and before that, from the Soviet Union.

In February, Moscow offered to build its fifth-generation Sukhoi Su-57 fighter jet in India.

The United States wants the Indian air force to buy Lockheed Martin F-35 fighter jets instead.

On Feb. 13, during Modi’s visit, Trump told reporters: “We'll be increasing military sales to India by many billions of dollars. We’re also paving the way to ultimately provide India with the F-35 stealth fighters.”

Vance’s visit and talks with Modi are expected to lay the groundwork for a possible summit later this year, which Trump might attend along with the leaders of Japan and Australia.

India, Japan, Australia, and the United States together form the Quad, a grouping set up in 2007 and resurrected in 2017 after a period of dormancy to resist the influence of the Chinese communist regime in the Indo-Pacific region.

On April 18, Modi said he spoke with SpaceX CEO Elon Musk and “discussed the immense potential for collaboration in the areas of technology and innovation.”

“India remains committed to advancing our partnerships with the U.S. in these domains,” Modi said.

Last month, Musk’s Starlink company entered into agreements with two of India’s biggest telecom corporations to provide satellite-based internet services.

Several U.S. companies, such as Apple and Google, have expanded their operations in India in recent years.

A banner welcoming U.S. Vice President JD Vance is tied to a pole on a street in New Delhi, India, on April 21, 2025. AP Photo

Vance’s wife, Usha Vance, is the daughter of Hindu Indian immigrants. The Vance family is due to visit the Taj Mahal and attend a wedding in the city of Jaipur.

Vance arrived in New Delhi on Monday from Rome, where he met with Pope Francis I on Easter Sunday, only hours before the pontiff’s death.

Reuters contributed to this report.