Close on the heels of a successful visit of Russian President Vladimir Putin to India, the Indo-US relationship is back in focus with high-level official visits from Washington to Delhi for talks on trade and strategic partnership. 

Officials said India and the US are scaling up engagement to advance strategic partnership in the context of agreed geopolitical and economic goals. US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Allison Hooker will visit from Delhi the week of 8th December 2025. 

Also, on the calendar are high-level talks to further the agenda to agree on a bilateral trade deal that may not be a full-blown free trade agreement but lay the foundation for continuing dialogue towards the big deal. A team led by Deputy US Trade Representative Rick Switzer will also visit Delhi. 

The US Embassy in Delhi and Indian External Affairs Ministry officials confirmed the visit. Hooker is scheduled to visit Delhi and Bengaluru and hold talks with Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri. While the visit isn’t directly related to following up on Putin’s successful visit, it is no secret that India and the US are both mobilizing efforts separately but discuss how to hasten a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine. Hooker’s talks will include economic and commercial ties to boost US exports, as well as expand collaboration in AI and space exploration.

Top on the agenda for trade talks is to reverse or scale down as best as possible the 50% tariffs on Indian imports into the US imposed by President Donald Trump.