New Delhi: United States vice president JD Vance is set to arrive in New Delhi with his family on Monday for a three-day visit that will include a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, with ongoing trade negotiations expected to figure in the talks.
Much of the focus of the trip to India, however, will be on cultural engagements and visits to tourist sites in Jaipur and Agra that are aimed at introducing Vance’s three children – sons Ewan and Vivek and daughter Mirabel – to the country where their mother Usha traces her roots.
As of now, the only substantial official engagement in Vance’s schedule is a meeting with Modi and a dinner to be hosted by the Prime Minister at his official residence on Monday evening, people familiar with the matter said on condition of anonymity. Several cabinet ministers, including external affairs minister S Jaishankar, and top Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders are expected to attend the dinner, they said.
A change in the timing of Vance’s arrival in New Delhi – he is now expected to fly into the capital several hours later than scheduled – has meant that meetings with several leaders are no longer part of the itinerary. Modi too has a busy schedule this week as he will travel to Saudi Arabia during April 22-23.
Vance will be accorded a guard of honour at the airport on his arrival. The Vances are expected to go shopping at an outlet for Indian-made handicrafts and textiles in central Delhi some hours after their arrival, the people said.
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India is the second leg of a week-long two-nation tour by Vance that began on April 18 and has already taken him to Italy. This is his first visit to India, and Modi and Vance last met on the margins of the AI Action Summit in Paris in February.
The India-US negotiations for a bilateral trade agreement and President Donald Trump’s reciprocal tariffs, currently paused till July, are expected to figure in Vance’s official interactions in New Delhi.
External affairs ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal told a media briefing last week that India and the US have a comprehensive strategic global partnership and “all relevant issues” will be discussed during Vance’s visit. “Our relationship is such that we are doing anything that is part of human endeavour…So, all these bilateral issues will be discussed and we are very positive that the visit will give a further boost to our bilateral ties,” he said.
The external affairs ministry has said the visit is an opportunity for both sides to review progress in implementing the outcomes of the India-US joint statement issued on February 13 during Modi’s visit to the US. The two sides will also exchange views on regional and global developments, it said.
Soon after the dinner hosted by Modi, Vance will travel from New Delhi to Jaipur on Monday night. On April 22, Vance will receive a formal welcome from the Rajasthan governor and chief minister, and he and his family are expected to visit Amer Fort, Jantar Mantar, City Palace and Hawa Mahal.
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In the afternoon, Vance will deliver a speech at the Rajasthan International Centre before holding some meetings with political and business leaders. On April 23, the Vances will travel to Agra to visit the Taj Mahal.
Vance’s visit follows a trip to India by director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, who was the first member of Trump’s cabinet to travel to New Delhi in March for a security conclave and the Raisina Dialogue.
This will be Vance’s third foreign trip since taking office. Vance visited Paris and Munich in February, when his remarks at public events criticising European allies for censorship of free speech and defence spending ruffled many feathers as they seen as supportive of right-wing forces.
Vance visited Greenland in March with his wife and Waltz but received a frosty reception because of the Trump administration’s interest in taking control of the self-governing territory of Denmark.