US Vice President J.D. Vance and National Security Adviser Michael Waltz will travel to New Delhi on April 21, a step that indicates the US increasing attention on its strategic partnership with India as global anxiety mounts over President Donald Trump's tariffs policies.
Sources verified that Vance and Waltz will undertake individual visits to India, with Vance's visit set to be more private, albeit still official. However, Waltz's visit will be purely official, during which he is set to address a range of vital issues, such as the security dynamics of the Indo-Pacific region.
Both Waltz and Vance are to be received by Prime Minister Narendra Modi prior to his planned visit to Saudi Arabia on a two-day tour beginning April 22.
The visits arrive at a pivotal time, as Trump's divisive tariff policies continue to echo around the world, triggering economic uncertainty and anxiety over the threat of a global recession. Last week, Trump declared a temporary 90-day suspension of his broad tariffs, which had been affecting economies around the world, with China excluded from the gesture.
Waltz's tour, which will last from April 21 to 23, will be based on strategic dialogue, with the emphasis on collaboration in high tech, critical minerals, and export controls, sources said. A strong supporter of closer US-India ties, Waltz will be expected to have detailed discussions with Indian officials, including National Security Adviser Ajit Doval.
Concurrently, Vance's trip is a longer one in nature, including a mix of official business and personal travel. He will travel to a variety of Indian cities, such as Shimla, Hyderabad, Jaipur, and Delhi, joined by his family, including Second Lady Usha Vance and the children. Whereas Vance's travel will have strong diplomatic interactions, the duration of his visit will be longer compared to Waltz's.
The visit comes in the wake of US Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard's recent trip, who engaged in discussions with top Indian officials, such as Prime Minister Modi, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, and NSA Doval.
One of the highlights of Waltz's visit will be the announcement of new initiatives under the India-US TRUST (Transforming the Relationship Utilising Strategic Technology) initiative. This follows on from the earlier US-India Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technology (iCET), which was initiated during the Biden administration. The TRUST initiative is meant to strengthen cooperation in emerging technologies, following discussions between PM Modi and President Trump last month.
In the fields of defense and technology, both countries have spelled out a number of joint ventures, especially in the fields of semiconductor technology, telecommunications, critical minerals, and space defense. The TRUST program is designed to reinforce even closer relations in these fields.
Waltz will hold extensive talks with Indian officials, such as NSA Ajit Doval, PM Modi, and S. Jaishankar, to promote bilateral partnerships.
The continued tariff war has fueled the fear of an international trade war, and against this background, both the US and India are looking for opportunities of a stronger economic and technological alliance. Following a series of consultations between Modi and Trump during a visit to Washington in February, the two nations decided to initiate discussions on the first phase of a Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA) by the fall of 2025.
As these top-level visits take place, the US and India are set to move closer to further consolidating their already strategic relationship, which has become increasingly important in the light of global trade and security issues.
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