Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he received a phone call from U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance late on August 8, during which the two leaders discussed ways to deepen the India–U.S. Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership. Modi said the conversation covered cooperation across trade, defence, critical and emerging technologies, energy security and critical minerals, and that they reviewed progress in the bilateral strategic relationship and the sustained momentum in high‑level engagements.
Modi also conveyed congratulations to Vice President Vance and Second Lady Usha Vance on the birth of their son. The Indian government’s readout said the leaders exchanged views on regional and global developments of mutual interest as part of the conversation.
The call came amid heightened tensions in West Asia and shortly after Turkiye, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan signed a mutual defence pact, developments that underscore shifting regional alignments. It was not immediately clear whether the proposed India–U.S. trade agreement was part of the discussion. In June, Modi and U.S. President Donald Trump had asked officials to work toward a balanced, mutually beneficial and commercially meaningful trade deal as soon as possible.
Bilateral ties were strained last year by U.S. tariffs on certain Indian goods, statements by the U.S. president about the May 2025 India–Pakistan clashes, and changes to U.S. immigration policy. Since then both sides have increased engagement to repair relations and advance negotiations, including on trade.