New Delhi:US Vice President J D Vance and National Security Adviser Michael Waltz are expected to be in New Delhi on April 21, reflecting Washington’s focus on its relationship with India amid concerns across the globe over President Donald Trump’s policy on tariffs.
Both the US vice president and national security advisor are likely to embark on separate visits to India from April 21, top sources told PTI on Friday night.
Vance’s visit is likely to be more of a private trip, even though it will have official components. Waltz’s visit will be a purely business trip as he will hold wide-ranging talks with his Indian interlocutors on a range of key issues including the security situation in the Indo-Pacific, the sources said.
Both Vance and Waltz are expected to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi before he travels to Saudi Arabia for a two-day visit from April 22.
The visits of Vance and Waltz are taking place against the backdrop of Trump’s policy on tariffs that triggered massive trade disruptions and fears of a global economic recession.
On Wednesday, Trump announced a 90-day pause on his sweeping tariffs on all countries except China as nations around the world wilted under the impact of the seismic action.
The US NSA is visiting India to unveil initiatives for cooperation in areas of high technology, critical minerals and export controls, the sources said.
Waltz, known to be a votary of strong India-US ties, is set to visit India from April 21 to 23, they said.
Though Vance is also likely paying a visit to India along with Indian-American Second Lady Usha Vance and their children from April 21, the duration of his trip is set to be longer than that of Waltz.
It is learnt that Vance and his family were planning to travel to Shimla, Hyderabad, Jaipur and Delhi.
The visits by US Vice President Vance and NSA Waltz are taking place weeks after US Director of National Intelligence (DNI) Tulsi Gabbard visited India.
The DNI held separate meetings with PM Modi, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and NSA Ajit Doval.
During his visit, Waltz is set to unveil cooperation under the India-US TRUST (Transforming the Relationship Utilising Strategic Technology) initiative that was announced last month following talks between PM Modi and President Trump.
The TRUST initiative primarily replaced the US-India Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technology, or iCET that was launched during the Joe Biden administration.
The iCET was launched by PM Modi and then US President Joe Biden in May 2022 with an aim to forge greater collaboration between India and the US in areas of critical technologies.
Last year, the two sides unveiled a raft of transformative initiatives to deepen India-US cooperation in areas of semiconductor, critical minerals, advanced telecommunication and defence space.
Waltz is expected to hold extensive talks with NSA Ajit Doval and is likely to meet PM Modi and Jaishankar, the sources cited above said.
The US president’s tariff tussle has stoked fears of a global trade war.
Following talks between Modi and Trump in Washington DC in February, the two sides announced plans to negotiate the first tranche of the BTA by the fall of 2025.