In an annual review, the US Embassy in India outlined the major political, strategic, economic and scientific milestones that would define India-US relations in 2025, highlighting continued engagement even as trade tariff tensions and diplomatic issues persisted.
Here are the key moments that defined and strengthened India-US relations in 2025.
Trump-Modi launches US-India COMPACT, sets $500 billion trade target
US President Donald Trump hosted Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Washington on February 13, 2025, reaffirming the strength of the India-US comprehensive global strategic partnership. The two leaders launched a new US-India COMPACT initiative to accelerate cooperation in defense, trade, technology, energy and people-to-people relations.
On defense, the leaders agreed to work on a new 10-year framework for the Major Defense Partnership, expand U.S. defense sales and co-production in India, and deepen cooperation across domains including space, cyber, missiles and autonomous systems.
On trade and investment, Trump and Modi set an ambitious goal of $500 billion in bilateral trade by 2030 as part of “Mission 500” and announced plans to negotiate the first tranche of a bilateral trade agreement by fall 2025. Both sides highlighted steps to reduce trade barriers and strengthen market access.
On energy, the leaders reaffirmed cooperation in oil, natural gas and civil nuclear energy, backed US support for India’s bid to join the International Energy Agency, and pledged to expand US energy exports to India.
In technology and innovation, they have launched initiatives in artificial intelligence, semiconductors, critical minerals, space collaboration and supply chain resilience, including plans to send India’s first astronaut to the ISS through the NASA-ISRO partnership.
The meeting also highlighted Indo-Pacific security, Quad cooperation, counter-terrorism and stronger people-to-people ties, with the two leaders pledging continued high-level engagement to advance a long-term strategic partnership.
Rubio, Jaishankar reaffirm US-India ties on sidelines of UN General Assembly
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio met Indian Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly High Level Week on September 22, 2025 and reaffirmed the strategic importance of bilateral relations.
Rubio emphasized that India remains a “critical partner” for the United States and expressed appreciation for New Delhi’s continued engagement in key areas, including trade, defense, energy, pharmaceuticals and critical minerals, as well as other pillars of cooperation.
Both leaders agreed that Washington and New Delhi will continue to work closely together to advance shared regional and global priorities. They reiterated their commitment to promoting a free and open Indo-Pacific, including through Quad cooperation.
The meeting highlighted continued high-level engagement between the two countries amid broader efforts to deepen strategic, economic and security cooperation.
Rajnath Singh, US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth conducts defense talks at ADMM-Plus
Defense Minister Rajnath Singh met US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth on the sidelines of the 12th ASEAN-Plus Defense Ministers’ Meeting (ADMM-Plus) in Kuala Lumpur on 31 October 2025 to review and advance bilateral defense cooperation.
The two leaders welcomed the strong momentum of Indo-US defense ties and reaffirmed their commitment to deepen the partnership across all pillars. They discussed ongoing issues of defense, industrial and technological cooperation and agreed to work closely together to address common security challenges amid growing geopolitical uncertainty.
Hegseth reiterated that India remains a priority partner for the United States in defense cooperation, with both sides committed to a free and open Indo-Pacific.
Following the talks, the two leaders signed the Framework for US-India Major Defense Partnerships (2025-2035), which aims to provide a unified vision and policy direction to transform defense cooperation over the next decade.
The two sides said the framework will strengthen coordination, information sharing, technology cooperation and defense industrial ties, further cementing defense as a central pillar of the India-US strategic relationship.
US Vice President JD Vance will visit India on 21-24
US Vice President JD Vance will pay an official visit to India from April 21 to 24, 2025, which will be his first trip to the country. He is accompanied by second lady Usha Vance, their children and senior members of the US administration.
During the visit, Vice President Vance will meet with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on April 21 in New Delhi. His itinerary also includes engagements in Delhi and visits to Jaipur and Agra before returning to Washington on April 24.
The purpose of the visit is to review the progress of India-US bilateral relations and review the implementation of the outcomes of the India-US Joint Statement of February 13, 2025. The two sides are expected to exchange views on key regional and global developments of common interest.
Indo-US NISAR satellite successfully launched from Sriharikota
Minister of State for Science and Technology Jitendra Singh on July 30 congratulated ISRO and NASA scientists for the successful launch of the NISAR satellite from the Satish Dhawan Space Center at Sriharikota. The satellite was placed into orbit aboard the ISRO GSLV-F16 rocket.
Describing NISAR as a global benchmark in Indo-US scientific cooperation, Singh said the mission reflected the growing partnership between the two democracies. The launch marked a milestone for ISRO, with GSLV successfully placing a satellite into a sun-synchronous polar orbit for the first time.
Jointly developed by NASA and ISRO, NISAR is the world’s first Earth observation satellite carrying dual-frequency synthetic aperture radars on a single platform. Weighing 2,393 kg, it was placed in a 747 km orbit and will provide high-resolution all-weather images every 12 days.
The satellite will support applications ranging from disaster management and climate monitoring to glacier monitoring, agriculture, aviation safety, maritime navigation and infrastructure planning. Singh said NISAR’s open access data policy will benefit scientists, disaster response agencies and developing countries around the world during the mission’s five-year lifespan.
A new US ambassador has been appointed
That year also saw Sergio Gore assume the post of US ambassador to India, as well as being appointed special envoy for South and Central Asia, signaling Washington’s focus on strengthening diplomatic engagement in the region.
Despite trade tensions, the partnership endures
While trade tariffs and market access issues have created friction, 2025 has demonstrated the resilience of the Indo-US partnership, with advances in defense, diplomacy, technology, energy and people-to-people relations continuing to strengthen the relationship.
