New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and visiting US Vice President J.D. Vance on Monday welcomed what they called the “significant progress” made in negotiations on a bilateral trade agreement (BTA).
Vance is on a four-day diplomatic visit to India along with his wife Usha Vance and their children.
In a meeting, the two leaders reviewed progress across key pillars of the India-US partnership, including trade, energy, defence and high-technology collaboration, and discussed regional and global developments, according to a press statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office.
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The meeting came just months after Modi’s visit to Washington in February, where he held wide-ranging talks with US President Donald Trump. That visit set the tone for deeper engagement under what Indian officials describe as a complementary vision between Trump’s “Make America Great Again” agenda and India’s “Viksit Bharat 2047” development roadmap.
Monday’s talks built on the momentum from that meeting, as well as from Modi’s brief interaction with Vice President Vance in Paris this February.
The trade deal, which is nearing finalization, is expected to bring down trade barriers and create new market opportunities for businesses in both countries.
“There is political will on both sides to get this done. The agreement is now being framed with people-centric outcomes in mind,” a government official said.
Energy security, defence ties, and cooperation in strategic and emerging technologies were other key areas reviewed during the meeting, as per the statement.
India has been keen to leverage its expanding defence and semiconductor ecosystems for closer integration with US partners, while Washington has shown strong interest in India as a critical partner for diversifying global technology supply chains.
On global issues, Modi and Vance reaffirmed the need for dialogue and diplomacy to address ongoing conflicts and tensions, reflecting shared concerns about geopolitical instability and the economic fallout of war and protectionist trends, the statement said.
Modi also said he looked forward to welcoming Trump to India later this year—a visit expected to further deepen political and economic ties at a time when both countries are navigating complex global realignments.
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