US Vice President Vance, his family meet PM Modi as they begin 4-day India visit

New Delhi | US Vice President J D Vance and his family began a four-day visit to India on Monday as the two countries were 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.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi hosted a dinner for the Vances after holding wide-ranging talks with the US Vice President.

PM Modi and Vice President Vance, who was accompanied by senior members of the US administration, reviewed and positively assessed the progress in various areas of bilateral cooperation, according to an official statement.

The prime minister "fondly recalled his visit to Washington D.C. in February and his fruitful discussions with President Donald Trump, which laid down the roadmap for close cooperation between India and the US, leveraging the strengths of Make America Great Again (MAGA) and Viksit Bharat 2047," it said.

The two leaders welcomed the significant progress in the negotiations for a mutually beneficial India-US Bilateral Trade Agreement focused on the welfare of the people of the two countries, the statement said,

They noted continued efforts towards enhancing cooperation in energy, defence, strategic technologies and other areas.

The two leaders also exchanged views on various regional and global issues of mutual interest, and called for dialogue and diplomacy as the way forward, the statement said.

The prime minister conveyed his warm greetings to President Trump and said that he looked forward to his visit to India later this year.

Apart from his meeting with Prime Minister Modi, Vance and his family's trip to India is largely a personal visit.

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.

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'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.

"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 on the American leader's arrival.

The visit spanning Delhi, Jaipur and Agra is expected to further deepen the India-US Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership, Jaiswal said.

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.