New Delhi: US Vice President J D Vance and his family began a four-day visit to India on Monday as the two countries are looking at concluding the first tranche of an ambitious trade deal by this fall to address a variety of key issues including tariff and market access.
Vance, accompanied by his Indian-origin wife Usha Chilukuri, their three children — Ewan, Vivek, Mirabel — and a delegation of senior US government officials, landed in Delhi to a warm welcome at around 9:50 am.
The US Vice President and the Second Lady were received at the Palam air base by Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw with artistes performing traditional Indian dances to welcome the guests.
The children emerged from ‘Air Force Two’ a little later with the boys wearing kurta-pyjama and Mirabel in a teal green anarkali suit and jacket.
Vance was accorded a ceremonial guard of honour at the airbase. Apart from his meeting with Prime Minister Modi this evening, Vance and his family’s trip to India is largely a personal visit.
“A very warm welcome to Vice President JD Vance, Second Lady Usha Vance and the US delegation to India,” External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in a social media post.
The visit spanning Delhi, Jaipur and Agra is expected to further deepen the India-US Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership, Jaiswal said.
The American leader arrived in Delhi a day after holding a private meeting with Pope Francis on Easter Sunday during the Italian leg of his two-nation trip.
The Vatican announced the Pope’s death on Monday. In a social media post, Vance, a devout Catholic, said he was “happy to see” the Pope on Easter Sunday, “though he was obviously very ill”. “I just learned of the passing of Pope Francis. My heart goes out to the millions of Christians all over the world who loved him,” he said.
Vance and his family visited the Akshardham temple near the banks of Yamuna and the Central Cottage Industries Emporium (CCIE) in Janpath in the national capital.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is hosting a dinner for the Vances after holding wide-ranging talks with the US Vice President.
The focus of the meeting is likely to be on the early finalisation of the proposed bilateral trade pact as well as ways to boost the overall trajectory of ties between the two countries.
Vance’s first visit to India comes weeks after US President Donald Trump imposed and then paused a sweeping tariff regime against around 60 countries including India.
New Delhi and Washington are now holding negotiations to seal a bilateral trade agreement that is expected to address the issues relating to tariffs and market access.
Vance and his family are scheduled to leave for Jaipur on Monday night. In Delhi, the US Vice President and his family stayed at the ITC Maurya Sheraton Hotel.
On April 22, the Vances will visit a number of historical sites in Jaipur including the Amer Fort, also known as Amber Fort. The fort is a UNESCO World Heritage site.
In the afternoon, the US Vice President is scheduled to address a gathering at the Rajasthan International Center in Jaipur. Vance is expected to delve into broader aspects of India-US relations under the Donald Trump administration during his speech that is expected to be attended by diplomats, foreign policy experts, Indian government officials and academia.
The US Vice President and his family will travel to Agra on the morning of April 23, people familiar with the matter said.
In Agra, they will visit the Taj Mahal and Shilpgram, which is an open-air emporium showcasing various Indian artefacts, they said.
After concluding their visit to Agra, the Vances will return to Jaipur on the second half of April 23.
The US Vice President and his family will depart for the US from Jaipur on April 24.
