Modi and JD Vance hail ‘significant progress’ in trade negotiations

Visit to New Delhi by VP and family has to navigate tensions over visas for Indian tech workers and farmers' hostility to lowering tariffs

India's prime minister, Narendra Modi, and the US vice-president, JD Vance, have hailed significant progress" in negotiations toward a bilateral trade agreement, a deal that could help India avoid sharp tariff hikes announced by President Donald Trump.

Vance, accompanied by second lady, Usha Vance, and their children - Ewan, Vivek and Mirabel - landed in the Indian capital earlier on Monday for a four-day visit combining high-level negotiations with family sightseeing. They were received at the airport by railways minister Ashwini Vaishnaw. Vance stood under a red canopy that shielded him from the blazing sun as soldiers saluted and a military band played the US anthem.