US NSA Michael Waltz likely to visit India next month to unveil ‘TRUST’ initiatives

New Delhi: In the second such visit from the Trump cabinet, US National Security Adviser Michael Waltz is set to be in India next month to unveil initiatives for cooperation in areas of high technology, critical minerals and export controls, people familiar with the matter said on Tuesday.

Waltz, known to be a votary of strong India-US ties, may visit India between April 21 to 23, they said, adding both sides are in the process of finalising the dates.

US Vice President JD Vance is also considering paying a visit to India along with Indian-American Second Lady Usha Vance and their children in the next couple of months.

It is learnt that Vance and his family were planning to travel to Shimla, Hyderabad, Jaipur and Delhi. Initially, the US Vice President was looking at visiting India in the second half of next month but it is understood that the plan may change.

The visit by US NSA Waltz is taking place weeks after US Director of National Intelligence (DNI) Tulsi Gabbard visited India.

The DNI held separate meetings with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and NSA Ajit Doval.

During his visit, Waltz is set to unveil cooperation under the India-US TRUST (Transforming the Relationship Utilising Strategic Technology) initiative that was announced last month following talks between PM Modi and US President Donald Trump. The TRUST initiative primarily replaced the US-India Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technology, or iCET that was launched during the Joe Biden administration.

The iCET was launched by PM Modi and then US President Joe Biden in May 2022 with an aim to forge greater collaboration between India and the US in areas of critical technologies.

Last year, the two sides unveiled a raft of transformative initiatives to deepen India-US cooperation in areas of semiconductors, critical minerals, advanced telecommunication and defence space.

Waltz is expected to hold extensive talks with NSA Ajit Doval and likely to meet Prime Minister Modi and External Affairs Minister Jaishankar, the people cited above said.

The US NSA is under some criticism for reportedly adding a journalist to a chat group with top officials discussing military plans. Even as India and the US are finalising the nitty-gritty of Waltz’s upcoming trip, Assistant US trade representative for South and Central Asia Brendan Lynch is undertaking a five-day visit to New Delhi from Tuesday to discuss issues relating to trade and tariff.