This article outlines the political relationship between India and the United States: how the MEA describes the partnership, contacts between the two leaders, the Prime Minister's visit of February 2025 and the COMPACT launched during it, recent visits by ministers and officials in both directions, and links with the US Congress. It is based on the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) bilateral brief of February 2026.

The partnership

According to the MEA brief of February 2026, India and the United States have a comprehensive global strategic partnership covering almost all areas of human endeavour. The brief states that it is driven by shared democratic values, convergence of interests on a range of issues and people-to-people contacts.

The brief describes regular dialogue between the leaders as an important element of bilateral ties, and notes that India has been working with successive US Administrations, Republican and Democrat.

Contacts between the leaders

PM Modi was, according to the brief, one of the first leaders to congratulate President Trump on his re-election, through a tweet followed by a phone call. The two leaders spoke again in January, June, September and December 2025, and on February 2, 2026. After the brief, the two leaders met on the margins of the G7 Summit in Evian, France, on 17 June 2026. An announcement on tariffs made during the February 2026 call is covered in this guide's trade and investment article.

The Prime Minister's visit of February 2025

President Trump hosted Prime Minister Modi for an Official Working Visit in Washington, DC on February 13, 2025. During the visit, the leaders launched a new initiative, the "U.S.-India COMPACT (Catalyzing Opportunities for Military Partnership, Accelerated Commerce & Technology) for the 21st Century". The brief states that under it they committed to a results-driven agenda with initial outcomes, to demonstrate the level of trust for a mutually beneficial partnership.

During the visit, the Director of National Intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, and former NSA Michael Waltz called on the Prime Minister. Their discussions touched on strategic technologies, defence industrial cooperation, civil nuclear energy with an emphasis on small modular reactors, and counterterrorism.

Elon Musk, Head of the U.S. Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and CEO of Tesla, also called on the Prime Minister. They discussed collaboration between Indian and US entities in innovation, space exploration, artificial intelligence and sustainable development, as well as emerging technologies, entrepreneurship and good governance.

US visits to India in 2025

  • March 2025: DNI Tulsi Gabbard and Commander INDOPACOM Paparo visited India to participate in the Raisina Dialogue. DNI Gabbard called on the Prime Minister, and they exchanged views on combating terrorism and on maritime and cyber security cooperation. She also met the External Affairs Minister (EAM) and the Raksha Mantri (RM).
  • April 2025: Vice-President J.D. Vance paid an Official Visit to India, accompanied by Second Lady Mrs. Usha Vance, their children and senior members of the US Administration. It was his first visit to India. He met Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi on 21 April 2025, and the two announced the Terms of Reference for a bilateral trade agreement between the United States and India. The Vice President also visited Jaipur and Agra before departing for Washington, D.C., on 24 April 2025.
  • December 2025: the Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs, Allison Hooker, visited India for the Foreign Office Consultations, co-chaired with the Foreign Secretary, on 9 December 2025. She also visited Bengaluru for engagements at ISRO.

Indian visits and meetings

  • From 27-29 May 2025, Foreign Secretary Shri Vikram Misri visited Washington, D.C. as a follow-up to the Prime Minister's visit, accompanied by Deputy National Security Advisor Shri Pavan Kapoor. He held discussions across the Department of State, National Security Council, Department of Defense, Department of the Treasury and Department of Commerce, covering defence cooperation, energy security, the TRUST initiative, counter-terrorism, the Indian Ocean Strategic Venture, and collaboration through platforms such as the Quad, I2U2 and IMEEC.
  • From 30 June to 02 July 2025, External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar visited the United States for the Quad Foreign Ministers' Meeting (QFMM) on 1 July 2025. The previous QFMM had taken place in Washington D.C. on 21 January 2025. In Washington, the EAM also met Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth, Secretary of Energy Chris Wright, DNI Gabbard and FBI Director Kash Patel.
  • The EAM and Secretary Rubio met on 22 September 2025 in New York on the sidelines of UNGA, in Kuala Lumpur on October 26, 2025, and on the sidelines of the G7 Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Canada on 12 November 2025.
  • In January 2026, MeitY Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw took part in a US-hosted Critical Minerals Finance Ministerial Meeting in Washington D.C., organised by U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.
  • On 3-4 February 2026, the EAM visited Washington D.C. for the U.S.-led Critical Minerals Ministerial, and held bilateral meetings with Secretary Rubio and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.
  • After the brief, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio called on Prime Minister Modi in New Delhi on 23 May 2026.

At the invitation of the US, MOS KV Singh attended the Gaza Peace Summit at Sharm el-Sheikh on 13 October 2025 as a special representative of the Prime Minister.

The brief states that India-US relations enjoy strong bipartisan support in the US Congress. The India Caucus, comprising the Senate India Caucus and the House Caucus on India and Indian Americans, is described as one of the largest single country caucuses in the US Congress, with more than 100 members.

A multi-party Parliamentary Delegation led by Dr. Shashi Tharoor, Member of Parliament, visited Washington D.C. from 3-6 June, 2025. The delegation met members of the US Congress, US think tanks and media professionals to brief them about Operation Sindoor, terrorism faced by India and regional security. It called on Vice President J.D. Vance and held discussions with Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau.

The number of persons of Indian origin in the US Congress is given in this guide's article on culture, education and the Indian community.