US Vice President JD Vance, NSA Mike Waltz likely to visit India this month

US Vice President JD Vance and National Security Advisor Mike Waltz are expected to visit India in the third week of April, strengthening bilateral ties and advancing the TRUST initiative

US Vice President JD Vance and National Security Advisor (NSA) Mike Waltz are set to visit India on the same day in the third week of April, according to sources cited by Hindustan Times. The high-level visits are being seen as a strategic win for India, coming close on the heels of a similar visit by US Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard in March.

 

While Waltz’s trip to New Delhi had been in the works for some time for a meeting with Indian NSA Ajit Doval on the new TRUST initiative, Vance’s visit has now also been confirmed, people familiar with the matter said on condition of anonymity.

 

Waltz is expected to be in India between April 21 and 23 and will attend a closed-door India-US Forum organised by a leading think tank. His visit comes at a key moment for bilateral technology cooperation, with TRUST — Transforming the Relationship Utilising Strategic Technology— high on the agenda.

 

The TRUST initiative, launched during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s meeting with US President Donald Trump in Washington this February, is a revamped version of the earlier Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technologies (iCET). It aims to deepen collaboration between the two countries in cutting-edge areas such as defence, artificial intelligence, semiconductors, quantum computing, energy, biotechnology, and space.

 

The partnership also focuses on building trusted supply chains, addressing export control issues, and easing regulatory barriers. Like iCET, TRUST is led by the National Security Advisors of both countries, and Waltz's meeting with Doval will be a key opportunity to assess ongoing progress.

 

While the main objective of Waltz’s trip is official, Vice President JD Vance’s visit will have a strong personal element. Accompanied by his Indian-origin wife, Usha Vance, and their three children — Ewan, Vivek, and Maribel — the VP’s trip will largely be aimed at connecting their children with their Indian roots.

 

“It will be 75 per cent personal in nature, with a 25 per cent official component,” a source told Hindustan Times.

 

Usha Vance’s parents, Radhakrishna and Lakshmi Chilukuri, trace their roots to Andhra Pradesh, and several Indian cities are being considered for the family's travel, including Hyderabad, Shimla, Agra, and Jaipur. An American advance security team has already surveyed these locations ahead of the visit.

 

Vance and Usha, who met at Yale Law School and married in 2014, are expected to introduce their children to Indian culture and heritage during the trip, the source added.

 

There’s a slim chance that both Vance and Waltz could meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi during their visit, though the window is narrow as PM Modi is expected to travel to Saudi Arabia around April 22–23.

 

(With agency inputs)