Washington– In a key step toward expanding U.S.-India strategic cooperation, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri met with U.S. Under Secretary Jeffrey Kessler in Washington on Wednesday (India time) to discuss the early convening of the India-U.S. Strategic Trade Dialogue and explore deeper collaboration in critical and emerging technologies.
The meeting underscored both countries’ intent to accelerate high-level engagement on issues of mutual strategic interest, particularly in technology and commerce. Discussions focused on reinforcing existing frameworks and building momentum around key bilateral initiatives.
The Indian Embassy in Washington posted on X, “Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri met Under Secretary Jeffrey Kessler to advance India-U.S. cooperation in critical and emerging technologies. They also discussed early convening of the India-U.S. Strategic Trade Dialogue to deepen tech and trade collaboration.”
Misri is currently on a three-day visit to the United States, during which he is scheduled to hold a series of high-level meetings with senior officials of the Trump administration.
According to India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), the visit follows Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s landmark trip to Washington in February 2025, during which he and President Donald Trump jointly launched the ‘India-U.S. COMPACT’—an ambitious framework aimed at advancing military, commercial, and technological collaboration for the 21st century.
The initiative—formally titled Catalyzing Opportunities for Military Partnership, Accelerated Commerce, and Technology—was unveiled as part of a renewed push to modernize and deepen strategic ties between the two democracies.
PM Modi’s February visit marked his first to the U.S. since President Trump’s second inauguration in January 2025, and came within three weeks of the new administration taking office—making Modi one of the first foreign leaders to be hosted under Trump’s renewed presidency.
Misri’s visit also comes against the backdrop of recent geopolitical developments, including claims by President Trump that his administration played a role in brokering the ceasefire agreement between India and Pakistan earlier this month.
Indian officials, however, have consistently maintained that the ceasefire was driven by Islamabad’s urgent calls to halt hostilities after sustained Indian military operations targeting Pakistani airbases during Operation Sindoor.
External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar recently confirmed that while the United States was among the countries that reached out to New Delhi between May 7 and 10, it was not the sole mediator in the situation. (Source: IANS)
