On April 22, 2025, US Vice President JD Vance visited Jaipur, India, where he stressed deepening US-India relations in trade, defence, technology, and energy. Addressing a gathering at the Rajasthan International Centre, Vance said that the Trump administration is committed to building partnerships based on mutual respect and shared goals. “President Donald Trump wants both countries to grow, and he wants to build the future with our partners all over the globe,” said Vance.

Trade was a major focus of Vance’s 25-minute speech. Staying on the subject, he said, earlier President Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi agreed to double bilateral trade to $500 billion by the end of the decade. “I know that both of them meant it, and I’m encouraged by everything our nations are doing to get us there. As many of you are aware, both of our governments are hard at work on a trade agreement built on shared priorities by creating new jobs, building durable supply chains and achieving prosperity for our workers,” Vance said. He confirmed that both countries had officially finalised the Terms of Reference for trade negotiations.

“This is a vital step toward realising President Trump’s and Prime Minister Modi’s vision,” he added.

Vance credited Trump and Modi for enhanced collaboration. He stated, “From Javelins to Striker combat vehicles, our nations will co-produce many of the munitions and equipment that will need to deter foreign aggressors, not because we seek war, but because we seek peace, and we believe the best path to peace is through mutual strength. And launching the joint autonomous systems industry alliance will enable America and India to develop the state-of-the-art maritime systems needed for victory.” He also announced the launch of the joint autonomous systems industry alliance to develop maritime defence technologies.

Vance lauded India’s role as host of the upcoming Quad leaders summit, calling it “fitting” and noting that both countries share strategic goals in the Indo-Pacific region. “Our interests in a free, open, peaceful and prosperous Indo-Pacific are in full alignment,” he said. 

Stating, “Growing relations between our countries over the last decade are part of what led America to designate India a major defence partner, the first of that class", he called on India to purchase more US defence systems, including the F-35 fighter jets. “We want your nation to buy more of our military equipment… F-35, for example, give the Indian Air Force the ability to protect your airspace and protect your people like never before,” he stated.

Highlighting a stark contrast between the current administration and previous ones, he said, “We’re not here to preach that you do things any one particular way. Too often in the past, Washington approached Prime Minister Modi with an attitude of preaching this, or even one of condescension. Prior administrations saw India as a source of low-cost labour. On the one hand, even they criticised the Prime Minister’s government, arguably the most popular in the democratic world,” he said. 

Vance praised Modi’s popularity, “As I told Prime Minister Modi last night, he’s got approval ratings that would make me jealous.” He also added, "But it wasn’t just India. This attitude captured too much of our economic relationship with the rest of the world, so we shipped countless jobs overseas…We traded hard power for soft power,

The US Vice President also focused on energy cooperation. “India, like America, wants to build, and that will mean that we have to produce more energy,” he said. Highlighting Trump’s energy policy, he added, “As President Trump is fond of saying, America has once again begun to drill, baby drill.”

He suggested India drop some of the non-tariff barriers restricting American access to its market. “We believe your nation will benefit from American energy exports… at much lower energy costs,” Vance said. He welcomed India’s civil nuclear liability law amendments and offered US help in tapping offshore gas and mineral reserves.

Vance also said, “There is no AI future without energy security and energy dominance”.

Speaking of the TRUST initiative, Vance called it the “cornerstone of the partnership of the future.” He predicted future growth in areas like data centres, pharmaceuticals, and undersea cables due to US-India collaboration. “Our nations have so much to gain by investing in one another,” he said.

According to Vance, the two countries’ strengths complement each other. “We’ve got great hardware… You have one of the most exciting startup technology infrastructures anywhere in the world,” he said.

Vance said, “Our administration seeks trade partners on the basis of fairness and of shared national interests.”

He stressed that cooperation does not require identical governance styles. “America’s partners need not look exactly like America,” Vance said. “But we should have some common goals, and I believe here in India, we do in both economics and in national security.”

Vance’s visit also included cultural engagements, where he and his family were welcomed at Jaipur’s Amber Fort by Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma and Deputy Chief Minister Diya Kumari.

“President Trump seeks to rebalance global trade so that America, with friends like India, can build a future worth having for all of our people together,” Vance said.