Vance meets with Modi as India seeks reprieve from Trump tariffs

NEW DELHI — Vice President JD Vance held trade talks with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi on Monday as the South Asian nation looks to strike an early deal with Washington that spares it from President Trump’s additional tariff hikes.

The White House said in a statement that the talks yielded “significant progress in the negotiations” for a bilateral trade agreement, and that the sides had finalized a road map for a possible deal to reduce the tariff burden.

The pair also discussed cooperation in defense, critical technologies and energy, the prime minister’s office said in a statement. The two leaders “called for dialogue and diplomacy as the way forward” after discussing regional and global security issues, the statement said.

The meeting included bilateral talks between Vance and Modi, a larger meeting with staff, and a dinner with the vice president’s wife, Usha Vance, and their three children. A video released by the prime minister’s office showed Vance’s sons in traditional Indian outfits and Modi gifting the children peacock feathers.

Modi also said he looks forward to a visit by Trump to India later this year, referring to an invitation he conveyed to the American president during his visit to Washington in February.

The meeting caps the first day of a four-day visit to India by Vance and his family, a trip that underscores India’s importance among countries seeking trade talks with the U.S. during the 90-day pause on Trump’s so-called reciprocal tariffs. Following the dinner, Vance departed New Delhi for Jaipur.

The U.S. has threatened to slap a 26% tariff on Indian exports — up from a baseline 10% covering exports from all nations — if no deal is reached during the tariff pause that stretches until July.

Trump administration officials have named India as one of several countries the U.S. is prioritizing negotiations with during the pause, and hopes are running high in New Delhi that the country can secure a quick agreement.

During a visit by Modi to the White House in February, the two sides said they planned to conclude the first tranche of a bilateral trade deal by fall. Indian Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is in Washington this week and plans to meet U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to advance the talks. India’s chief trade negotiator will also visit the U.S. this week.

Modi has sought to pave the way for a deal with the U.S. in recent months by slashing Indian tariffs on a range of American goods, agreeing to buy more U.S. exports and accepting undocumented migrants sent back from the United States.

Dancers wearing traditional Indian attire stand in front of a poster depicting U.S. Vice President JD Vance upon his arrival in New Delhi on Monday.

(Kenny Holston / Pool photo)

Vance and his family arrived in New Delhi on Monday morning following a three-day trip to Italy, where the vice president met with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. He also met with Pope Francis at the Vatican, just a day before the pontiff’s death.

In New Delhi, the Vance family was greeted at the airport by Indian officials before setting off for a visit to a Hindu temple. Interest in the family runs high in India, given that Usha Vance is a daughter of Indian immigrants from the southern state of Andhra Pradesh.

Vance’s visit will also include a bit of softer diplomacy, with the vice president’s family set to make stops at cultural sites in Jaipur and in Agra, home of the Taj Mahal.

The U.S. has long sought to cultivate a deeper partnership with India, in large part as a bulwark against China. India, meanwhile, has sought greater U.S. investment and deeper cooperation in technology-sharing and defense.

The South Asian country is also hoping to lure investment from White House advisor Elon Musk. The Tesla chief executive indicated he’d visit India later this year after speaking last week with Modi, signaling potential progress in the electric carmaker’s long-pending push into the world’s most-populous country.

Strumpf and Gardner write for Bloomberg.