Vance warns of ‘very dark time’ without close US-India ties

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By Rupam Jain

JAIPUR, India (Reuters) -The United States wants to sell more energy and defence equipment to India to build closer ties, Vice President JD Vance said on Tuesday, praising Prime Minister Narendra Modi repeatedly as talks over a trade deal progress.

Visiting the northwestern Indian city of Jaipur, Vance hailed what he called India’s vitality over the “sameness and flatness” of some Western nations. His remarks followed criticism by U.S. President Donald Trump of steep Indian tariffs on cars, farm goods and other products.

The rebalancing of global trade because of Trump’s tariff actions is “going to produce great benefits for the people of India,” Vance said.

India is trying to position itself as a manufacturing base of choice for the world as China faces high U.S. duties.

“If India and the United States work together successfully, we’re going to see a 21st century that is prosperous and peaceful,” Vance told an audience of a few hundred students, traders, government officials and politicians in Jaipur.

“But I also believe that if we fail to work together successfully, the 21st century could be a very dark time for all of humanity.”

He said it would be natural for India to buy more defence equipment from the United States, including Lockheed Martin’s F-35 fighter jets, as the two countries do regular military exercises.

“We, of course, want to collaborate more,” he said. “We want to work together more, and we want your nation to buy more of our military equipment.”

He said the U.S. wanted to sell more energy to India and also help it explore its own resources, including offshore natural gas reserves and critical mineral supplies. Nuclear energy is also an important area of focus for both sides.

‘SPECIAL PERSON’

Vance is on a mostly personal, four-day visit to India along with his wife, who is the daughter of Indian immigrants, and their three children.

India is seeking an early trade deal with the U.S. – its largest trading partner – before the end of a 90-day pause on the steep tariffs announced by Trump’s administration.

“Prime Minister Modi is a tough negotiator. He drives a hard bargain,” Vance said to laughter from the audience.

India, the world’s fastest-growing big economy, hopes to “positively conclude” the first part of a trade pact by autumn, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said in San Francisco on Monday.

Vance said he and Modi, who hosted Vance’s family for dinner at his home on Monday, had made good progress on trade talks and confirmed that the two sides had finalised the terms of reference for the trade negotiation.

“It sets a roadmap toward a final deal between our nations,” he said.

Vance has criticised some foreign leaders but was effusive in his praise for Modi, who went to see Vance’s family on the birthday of Vance’s second son while both leaders were in France for an AI conference in February.

“I think he’s a special person,” Vance said. “In the past, Washington approached Prime Minister Modi with an attitude of prejudice or even one of condescension. And, as I told Prime Minister Modi last night, he’s got approval ratings that would make me jealous.”

(Reporting by Rupam Jain; Writing by Sakshi Dayal and Krishna N. Das; Editing by YP Rajesh, Kim Coghill and Timothy Heritage)