NEW DELHI, April 21 – Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and visiting U.S. Vice-President J.D. Vance welcomed “significant progress” in talks for a Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA), as both sides finalized terms for negotiations aimed at expanding economic ties, officials said on Monday.
The two leaders met in New Delhi, where they reviewed plans for strengthening India-U.S. cooperation in trade, energy, defence and strategic technologies. According to a statement from Vance’s office, the BTA talks mark “an opportunity to negotiate a new and modern trade agreement” that would enhance supply-chain integration and boost growth for workers and businesses in both countries.
The announcement comes as Indian and U.S. negotiators prepare for a fresh round of BTA discussions in Washington this week. A first tranche of the deal, expected during U.S. President Donald Trump’s upcoming visit to India later this year, may include tariff reductions across select sectors. However, long-standing differences remain on issues such as agricultural market access and India’s digital levy.
Modi hosted Vance and his family for dinner at his residence following high-level talks, which included India’s National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, along with senior U.S. officials and Charge d’Affaires Jorgan Andrews.
The leaders also discussed their respective national development roadmaps—Trump’s “Make America Great Again” and India’s “Viksit Bharat 2047”—and “exchanged views on regional and global developments,” according to the Prime Minister’s Office. The statement did not clarify whether topics such as the Ukraine conflict or the situation in Gaza were specifically addressed.
The visit unfolded under the shadow of Pope Francis’ death on Monday, just a day after Vance, a practicing Catholic, met the pontiff in Rome. “I was happy to see him yesterday, though he was obviously very ill,” Vance posted on social media, extending his condolences. Despite initial uncertainty, the official events proceeded as scheduled.
Vance, accompanied by his wife Usha Chilukuri Vance and their three children, arrived in Delhi earlier on Monday. After a cancelled visit to the Red Fort, the family visited Akshardham temple and shopped for handicrafts at the Cottage Emporium. The Vice-President is scheduled to travel to Jaipur on Tuesday for private and cultural engagements, including a visit to the Amer Fort and a public address at the Rajasthan International Centre.
Security has been tightened in Jaipur amid reports the delegation may attend a private wedding event at the city’s Rambagh Palace hotel. The trip will conclude with a visit to the Taj Mahal in Agra on Wednesday before the delegation departs India on Thursday. Despite Usha Vance’s Indian heritage, no meetings with her extended family in Visakhapatnam or Chennai are planned, according to family members.
