Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri heads to Washington to review 'full spectrum' India–US ties

Misri, who will be in Washington from April 8 to 10, will be the first senior Indian official to travel to the US since military strikes by Israel and the US on Iran triggered the conflict in West Asia in February. The visit follows external affairs minister S Jaishankar’s visit to Washington in February and is in line with regular high-level exchanges between the two sides, the external affairs said on Tuesday.

The visit is an opportunity to “review the full spectrum of India-US bilateral relations and advance ongoing cooperation across key areas”, the ministry said. Misri will meet senior officials of the US administration on a range of issues, including trade, defence, science and technology, and regional and global developments, it said.

The trip comes when both countries are focused on stabilising relations that were hit by unprecedented strains last year after US President Donald Trump levied 50% tariffs on Indian exports, including a 25% penalty over India’s purchase of Russian energy. Trump’s repeated assertions about ending a four-day conflict between India and Pakistan last May also impacted relations.