Vance calls for closer US-India ties as trade talks progress

Dan Strumpf and Akayla Gardner, Bloomberg News on Apr 22, 2025

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Vice President JD Vance pushed for stronger ties between the U.S. and India across a range of areas from energy to defense, in remarks delivered during a four-day trip to the South Asian country that brought the two nations closer to a trade deal.

“This is very much a win-win partnership,” Vance said in Jaipur on Tuesday. “The future of the 21st century is going to be determined by the strength of the United States and India partnership.”

Vance highlighted trade, defense, energy and technology as areas of cooperation in his speech. He also called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government to continue efforts to lower trade barriers and purchase more American goods.

The remarks are the among the clearest signs to date that the Trump administration sees India as one of its main partners at a time when it is resetting its relationship with allies around the world. Vance lavished praise on Modi and pledged that the Trump administration would not treat India with “condescension,” an attitude he said was shown by past U.S. leaders.

While Vance called for closer ties with India, he also said the relationship was a two-way street, calling on the Modi government to buy more American goods, particularly energy and military equipment, and talked up the potential of American F-35 warplanes to strengthen the Indian Air Force.

“Americans want further access to Indian markets,” Vance said in his speech, which was hosted by the Rajasthan International Centre. “This is a great place to do business and we want to give our people more access to this country and Indians.”

Vance’s speech comes a day after a one-on-one meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi during which the two sides made “significant progress” toward a bilateral trade deal, according to the White House.

The vice president and his family are on a high-profile trip that underscores India’s importance among countries seeking trade talks with the U.S. For Modi, the pressure is on to shield Asia’s third-largest economy from disruptions in global trade by striking an early deal with the Trump administration.

In his speech, Vance also praised Modi for the hospitality shown to his wife and three children.

While urging India to cooperate more on energy with the U.S., the vice president said the world’s fastest-growing major economy will be “able to build more, make more and grow more, but at much lower energy costs.”

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With assistance from Anup Roy and Ruchi Bhatia.