The United States and India are accelerating their diplomatic and strategic partnership, with a flurry of high-level visits planned over the next few months. This signals a robust start to the Trump administration’s engagement with New Delhi and builds on the tempo of the last three months. Vice President JD Vance, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and National Security Adviser Michael Waltz are set to visit India in the coming weeks, building on momentum from Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s February trip to Washington and External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar’s attendance at Trump’s January inauguration.

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Vance is expected in Delhi by mid-April, coinciding with Waltz’s visit and the India-US Forum, a platform to deepen bilateral ties. Hegseth’s trip, slated for May or June, will focus on advancing a new 10-year framework for the US-India Major Defense Partnership, something that was announced during PM Modi’s White House visit last month.

Next week, Assistant US Trade Representative Brendan Lynch will be visiting India, just days before Trump’s proposed reciprocal tariffs take effect on April 2. The reciprocal tariffs are scheduled to take effect on April 2, even as both sides are holding talks to conclude a Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA). The US is India's largest trading partner, and India enjoys a trade surplus with the US, a point of contention for Trump, who has criticised India in the past for imposing high tariffs. The Indian Trade minister Piyush Goyal was in Washington in March, holding talks with his counterparts as both sides remain the touch over trade issues. 

India's Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal on Friday said, "India and the US are in the process of taking bilateral trade negotiations forward. The two governments are actively working to build a framework for the BTA, which would aim to expand trade, enhance market access, reduce tariff and non-tariff barriers, and deepen supply chain integration". 

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An Energy delegation will visit India as well from the US next week, with a focus on Small Modular Reactors (SMRs). The cooperation aims to advance India's clean energy goals, enhance energy security, and support transition to a low-carbon economy. SMR was also part of the conversation at the White House last month and was mentioned in the Indo US joint statement.

India and Trump administration had established early contacts, with PM Modi & Donald Trump's telephonic talks in November 2024 after the latter's election victory & EAM Jaishankar's December visit, during which he not only met Biden officials but incoming Trump team officials including then NSA Designate Mike Waltz. But not only visits from India, but Trump officials have started to visit the country very early on in the administration's tenure. 

March saw the visit of United States Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard to India for the annual intelligence meeting, a significant visit that was much talked about. She is the first top Trump official to visit India, during which she met with PM Modi, EAM Dr S Jaishankar, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, NSA Ajit Doval and other top leaders. A practicing Hindu, Gabbard was given Holy Ganga Water from MahaKumbh by PM Modi. But besides her key visit, commander of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command Adm. Samuel J. Paparo & Special Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs and National Security Council Senior Director for South and Central Asia Ricky Gill visited India this month.