Vance meets with Modi as India seeks reprieve from Trump tariffs

NEW DELHI — Vice President JD Vance held commercialized talks with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi successful New Delhi connected Monday arsenic the South Asian federation looks to onslaught an aboriginal woody with Washington that spares it from President Trump’s further tariff hikes.

The White House said successful a connection that the talks yielded “significant advancement successful the negotiations” for a bilateral commercialized agreement, and that the sides had finalized a roadworthy representation for a imaginable woody to trim the tariff burden.

The brace besides discussed practice successful defense, captious technologies and energy, the premier minister’s bureau said successful a statement. The 2 leaders “called for dialog and diplomacy arsenic the mode forward” aft discussing determination and planetary information issues, the connection said.

The gathering included bilateral talks betwixt Vance and Modi, a larger gathering with staff, and a meal with the vice president’s wife, Usha Vance, and their 3 children. A video released by the premier minister’s bureau showed Vance’s sons successful accepted Indian outfits and Modi gifting the children peacock feathers.

Modi besides said helium looks guardant to a sojourn by Trump to India aboriginal this year, referring to an invitation helium conveyed to the American president during his sojourn to Washington successful February.

U.S. Vice President JD Vance talks with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a gathering successful New Delhi connected Monday.

(Indian Prime Minister’s Office / Associated Press)

The gathering caps the archetypal time of a four-day sojourn to India by Vance and his family, a travel that underscores India’s value among countries seeking commercialized talks with the U.S. during the 90-day intermission connected Trump’s alleged reciprocal tariffs. Following the dinner, Vance departed New Delhi for Jaipur.

The U.S. has threatened to slap a 26% tariff connected Indian exports — up from a baseline 10% covering exports from each nations — if nary woody is reached during the tariff intermission that stretches until July.

Trump medication officials person named India arsenic 1 of respective countries the U.S. is prioritizing negotiations with during the pause, and hopes are moving precocious successful New Delhi that the state tin unafraid a speedy agreement.

During a sojourn by Modi to the White House successful February, the 2 sides said they planned to reason the archetypal tranche of a bilateral commercialized woody by fall. Indian Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is successful Washington this week and plans to conscionable U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to beforehand the talks. India’s main commercialized negotiator volition besides sojourn the U.S. this week.

Modi has sought to pave the mode for a woody with the U.S. successful caller months by slashing Indian tariffs connected a scope of American goods, agreeing to bargain much U.S. exports and accepting undocumented migrants sent backmost from the United States.

Dancers wearing accepted Indian attire basal successful beforehand of a poster depicting U.S. Vice President JD Vance upon his accomplishment successful New Delhi connected Monday.

(Kenny Holston / Pool photo)

Vance and his household arrived successful New Delhi connected Monday greeting pursuing a three-day travel to Italy, wherever the vice president met with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. He besides met with Pope Francis astatine the Vatican, conscionable a time earlier the pontiff’s death.

In New Delhi, the Vance household was greeted astatine the airdrome by Indian officials earlier mounting disconnected for a sojourn to a Hindu temple. Interest successful the household runs precocious successful India, fixed that Usha Vance is simply a girl of Indian immigrants from the confederate authorities of Andhra Pradesh.

Vance’s sojourn volition besides see a spot of softer diplomacy, with the vice president’s household acceptable to marque stops astatine taste sites successful Jaipur and successful Agra, location of the Taj Mahal.

The U.S. has agelong sought to cultivate a deeper concern with India, successful ample portion arsenic a bulwark against China. India, meanwhile, has sought greater U.S. concern and deeper practice successful technology-sharing and defense.

The South Asian state is besides hoping to lure concern from White House advisor Elon Musk. The Tesla main enforcement indicated he’d sojourn India aboriginal this twelvemonth aft speaking past week with Modi, signaling imaginable advancement successful the electrical carmaker’s long-pending propulsion into the world’s most-populous country.

Strumpf and Gardner constitute for Bloomberg.