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US vice president JD Vance has arrived in Delhi for a four-day visit to India as the countries look to negotiate on tariffs, a bilateral trade deal and strengthen their ties.

Mr Vance was accompanied by his wife Usha – whose parents moved from India to the US – their three children Ewan, Vivek and Mirabel and fellow government officials as he landed on Monday morning.

The visit comes weeks after US President Donald Trump imposed and then paused a sweeping tariff regime against around 60 countries, including India.

U.S. Vice President JD Vance and Second Lady Usha Vance arrive in New Delhi, India.
Pic: Reuters
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JD and Usha Vance landed in New Delhi. Pic: Reuters

In a statement after their meeting in New Delhi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi‘s office said he “welcomed the significant progress” in negotiations for an expected trade deal between the US and India.

It added that he and Mr Vance “noted continued efforts towards enhancing cooperation in energy, defence, strategic technologies and other areas”, and also “exchanged views on various regional and global issues of mutual interest, and called for dialogue and diplomacy as the way forward”.

Mr Modi also “conveyed his warm greetings to President Trump” ahead of his visit to India later this year.

JD Vance and Narendra Modi in New Dehli. Pic: AP
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JD Vance and Narendra Modi in New Delhi. Pic: AP

An announcement was expected on the countries’ TRUST (Transforming Relationship Utilising Strategic Technology) partnership, a programme aimed at strengthening their cooperation in defence, critical minerals, AI, semiconductors, pharmaceuticals, energy and space.

The Trump administration is also pushing India to buy defence equipment.

U.S. Vice President JD Vance reviews troops, upon his arrival in New Delhi, India, April 21, 2025. Kenny Holston/Pool via REUTERS
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JD Vance walks past troops after arriving in New Delhi. Pic: Reuters

The US is India’s largest trading partner, with bilateral trade valued at $190bn, with a trade deficit of about $46bn in India’s favour.

Both countries are engaged in negotiating a bilateral trade agreement and aim to double trade to $500bn by 2030.

Mr Trump has previously labelled India a “tariff king” and a “big abuser” on trade. He also recently shared a report which stated Indian tariffs on agricultural products were among the highest in the world.

The US president had slapped a 26% tariff on India, calling it a discounted rate against an average 52% duty on American products.

Over the weekend, Mr Vance met Pope Francis in one of the pontiff’s last public appearances before his death on Easter Monday.

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JD Vance and Pope ‘exchange Easter greetings’

Visit comes amid rising tensions with China

Mr Vance’s visit is also aimed at strategically balancing China’s growing influence in the Indo-Pacific region, with India seen as a counterweight of the two most populous countries.

China has warned it will take “resolute and reciprocal” countermeasures against countries that strike deals with the US at the expense of Chinese interests.

Relations between India and China have been tense over the years.

Dancers wearing traditional attires stand in front of a poster depicting U.S. Vice President JD Vance, on the day of his arrival, in New Delhi, India, April 21, 2025. Kenny Holston/Pool via REUTERS
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Dancers wearing traditional attire stand in front of a poster of Mr Vance. Pic: Reuters

The two countries, separated by the Himalayan mountain range, share a 2,000-mile border, most of which is not demarcated.

In 2020, in Galwan, soldiers of both countries had a face-off in which 20 Indian soldiers were killed. There was a national uproar and since then diplomatic relations have been low.

High-level military talks have been taking place to sort the border disputes, but have so far been inconclusive.

India’s move to strengthen ties with the US will increase friction with its northern neighbour, as China sees itself being isolated and targeted by the Trump administration.

Last week, China’s President Xi Jinping embarked on a tour of Vietnam, Malaysia and Cambodia, and said: “There are no winners in trade wars and tariff wars.”

Meanwhile, India has raised concerns over the treatment of Indian students who have received visa revocation notices in the US.

A survey by the American Immigration Lawyers Association found 50% of those reporting revocations were Indian. The US government has denied targeting Indians specifically with its actions.

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At least 100 people killed in Israeli strikes on Gaza – ‘complete families wiped out’ says health ministry

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At least 100 people killed in Israeli strikes on Gaza - 'complete families wiped out' says health ministry

At least 100 people have been killed in Israeli strikes on Gaza overnight and into Sunday, according to Gaza’s health ministry.

Local medics also report that women and children were among the dead – as Israel launches an escalation of its war in Gaza to ramp up pressure on Hamas.

“Complete families were wiped off the civil registration record by Israeli bombardment,” Khalil Al-Deqran, Gaza health ministry spokesperson, told the Reuters news agency.

Nasser hospital, in the southern city of Khan Younis, said it received the bodies of 20 people killed in strikes that hit houses and tents in the Muwasi area. Hamas described that as a “new brutal crime”.

Palestinians inspect the damage at the site of an Israeli strike on a tent camp sheltering displaced people, in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, May 18, 2025. REUTERS/Hatem Khaled
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Smoking debris after an airstrike at a tent camp in Khan Younis, southern Gaza on Sunday. Pic: Reuters

Saleh Zenati, carries the body of his infant nephew Khalid Zenati killed in an Israeli army airstrike, during his funeral in Khan Younis, Gaza Strip, Sunday, May 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)
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Saleh Zenati carries the body of his nephew killed in Khan Younis on Sunday. Pic: AP

In central Gaza, at least 10 people were killed in two separate strikes, according to the Al-Aqsa Martyrs hospital in the town of Deir al Balah.

Meanwhile, first responders from the health ministry and the civil defence reported at least 36 people were killed in multiple strikes in Jabalia, northern Gaza.

The Israeli military had no immediate comment on the latest strikes.

Israel has blocked the entry of medical, food and fuel supplies into Gaza since the start of March. It is attempting to pressurise Hamas into freeing Israeli hostages and has approved plans that could involve seizing the whole of Gaza and controlling aid.

It comes as peace talks between Israel and Hamas take place in Qatar this weekend, although sources told Reuters there had been no breakthrough.

Sky News Arabia reported that Hamas had proposed freeing about half its Israeli hostages in exchange for a two-month ceasefire and the release of Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.

A Palestinian official close to the talks said: “Hamas is flexible about the number of hostages it can free, but the problem has always been over Israel’s commitment to end the war.”

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On Saturday, Israel ramped up attacks on Gaza

Earlier on Sunday, Gaza’s health ministry issued a statement accusing Israel of “intensifying its systematic campaign to target hospitals”.

“After putting the European Gaza Hospital out of service a few days ago, the Israeli occupation has intensified its targeting and siege of the Indonesian Hospital in the northern Gaza Strip since dawn today,” it added.

Israel has previously denied deliberately targeting civilians and accused Hamas of using hospitals for military purposes.

This week, Israel said it had bombed the European Hospital because it was home to an underground Hamas base, but Sky News analysis has cast doubt on its evidence.

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Mass protests on Saturday mark 77 years since the Nakba

Separately, the Israeli military said on Sunday it had intercepted a missile launched from Yemen toward Israel.

Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis said they had targeted Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv with two ballistic missiles.

The Houthis have fired at Israel because of the plight of Palestinians in Gaza, while Israel has carried out airstrikes in response, including one on 6 May that damaged Yemen’s main airport in Sanaa and killed several people.

The conflict began on 7 October 2023, when Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel, killing 1,200 people and abducting 251 others.

Israel’s military response has seen the deaths of more than 53,000 people, according to the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza, which doesn’t differentiate between civilians and combatants.

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Donald Trump says he has call with Putin planned – as Ukraine condemns Russia over bus attack

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Donald Trump says he has call with Putin planned - as Ukraine condemns Russia over bus attack

Donald Trump has said he will speak to Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelenskyy separately on Monday in a bid to secure a ceasefire deal between Russia and Ukraine.

The US president made the announcement on Truth Social – shortly after the Ukrainian president condemned Russia for the “deliberate killing of civilians” after a drone hit a bus in north-eastern Ukraine.

Mr Trump said he will speak to Mr Putin over the phone. He will then talk with Mr Zelenskyy and “various members of NATO”, he wrote.

In an all-caps post, he said: “HOPEFULLY IT WILL BE A PRODUCTIVE DAY, A CEASEFIRE WILL TAKE PLACE, AND THIS VERY VIOLENT WAR, A WAR THAT SHOULD HAVE NEVER HAPPENED, WILL END. GOD BLESS US ALL!!!”

The Ukrainian town of Bilopillia today declared a period of mourning lasting until Monday after nine people were killed in a Russian drone attack – which occurred just hours after Kyiv and Moscow held peace talks.

Seven others were injured, Ukrainian authorities said. The bus was evacuating civilians from a frontline area when the drone hit, the country’s national police said.

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Nine killed in Russian strike on bus

A “father, mother and daughter” were among the dead, Mr Zelenskyy said, writing on Telegram: “All the deceased were civilians. And the Russians could not have failed to understand what kind of vehicle they were targeting.”

The attack has also been condemned by British Foreign Secretary David Lammy, who said he was “appalled”.

“If Putin is serious about peace, Russia must agree to a full and immediate ceasefire, as Ukraine has done,” he wrote on X.

Representatives for Kyiv and Moscow met for direct peace talks in Istanbul, Turkey, just hours before the drone attack.

While the discussions – which were not attended by the Mr Putin or Mr Zelenskyy – did not result in a truce, both countries agreed to exchange 1,000 prisoners in their biggest swap yet.

Ukraine’s intelligence chief, Kyrylo Budanov, said on national television the exchange could happen as early as next week.

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What happened at Ukraine talks?

Russia ‘threatened eternal war’ at peace talks

After a Ukrainian official yesterday said Russia made “unacceptable” demands during the discussions, a source from the Kyiv delegation has now told Sky News that Moscow threatened “eternal war”.

Separately, a senior Kyiv official said Russia’s proposed ceasefire terms included the full withdrawal of troops from four regions of Ukraine: Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson and Luhansk.

Moscow also called for international recognition that those regions and Crimea – annexed in 2014 – are Russian and for Ukraine to become a neutral state, with no allied troops stationed there, they said.

The Kremlin declined to comment on the matter.

Read more:
What happened last time Putin and Zelenskyy met?
Ukrainians tortured and killed in Russian jails
Analysis: the chilling moment in Russia-Ukraine talks

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Ukraine has rallied support from its allies following the talks, and a number have spoken out.

French President Emmanuel Macron said: “Today, what do we have? Nothing. And so I tell you, faced with President Putin’s cynicism, I am sure that President Trump, mindful of the credibility of the United States, will react.”

The EU is working on a new package of sanctions against Moscow, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said.

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The chilling moment in Russia-Ukraine peace talks – as Putin makes mockery of Trump’s efforts to end war

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The chilling moment in Russia-Ukraine peace talks - as Putin makes mockery of Trump's efforts to end war

Vladimir Putin made a mockery this week of Donald Trump’s efforts to end the war in Ukraine.

Far from punishing him for it, the US president went out of his way to dodge calls to get tough with the Russian leader.

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On Sunday, President Trump called on leaders of both Russia and Ukraine to meet.

He posted: “President Putin of Russia wants to meet on Thursday, in Turkey, to negotiate a possible end to the BLOODBATH. Ukraine should agree to this, IMMEDIATELY.”

That post let the Russian leader off the hook. Only the day before, Putin had been ordered by Ukraine’s allies, including America, to agree to a 30-day unconditional ceasefire.

Donald Trump hints at meeting with Vladimir Putin soon
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Pic: AP

The Russian president had swerved that demand, suggesting talks instead.

“If the ceasefire is not respected, the US and its partners will impose further sanctions,” Trump posted before swivelling and backing Putin’s proposals for talks instead.

Undeterred, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accepted the call.

Putin though refused to go, sending officials instead.

And yet there was no reprimand from the US president. Instead, he chose to undermine the talks he had himself called for.

“Look, nothing is going to happen until Putin and I get together,” he told reporters on Air Force One. So much for that then.

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What happened at Ukraine talks?

It is what happened in those talks though that should give the US president the greatest pause for thought about Putin’s intentions – as it does in Kyiv.

The message they brought was blunt and belligerent, threatening eternal war.

“We don’t want war, but we’re ready to fight for a year, two, three – however long it takes,” lead Russian negotiator Vladimir Medinsky is reported to have said. “We fought Sweden for 21 years. How long are you ready to fight?”

Russian negotiator Vladimir Medinsky. Pic: AP
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Russian negotiator Vladimir Medinsky. Pic: AP

Far from offering a compromise, they are reported to have demanded the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from the four regions they have partially seized by force and the capitulation of another two, just for good measure.

And there was a chilling moment when the Russians are reported to have threatened their interlocutors like gangsters.

“Maybe some of those sitting here at this table will lose more of their loved ones,” Mednisky said. Russia is prepared to fight forever.

For Sergiy Kyslytsya, Ukraine’s deputy foreign minister, that was personal.

Max, his 23-year-old nephew, lost his life fighting the Russians in 2022 not long after their illegal and unprovoked invasion began.

Read more from Sky News:
Nine killed in attack on Ukrainian bus
First direct Russia-Ukraine talks since 2022
Analysis: Talks reveal a stark reality about war

Sergiy Kyslytsya, Ukraine's deputy foreign minister. Pic: AP
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Sergiy Kyslytsya, Ukraine’s deputy foreign minister. Pic: AP

At the end of this week, Putin appears scornful of Western efforts to end this war through a ceasefire and negotiations and Trump seems happy to let him get away with it.

Even Fox News, normally slavishly subservient to Trump, is wondering what gives.

Its anchor Bret Baier is no Jeremy Paxman, but in an interview last night asked Donald Trump 10 times if he might finally now put pressure on Putin.

The US president ducked and dived, talking about the money he had made in his Gulf tour, Zelenskyy’s shortcomings, Biden, and Iran instead. But he did not give a straight answer to the question.

With performances like that, Putin has nothing to worry about. Trump’s position though seems increasingly untenable.

Ukraine’s European allies though should be alarmed. They threatened Russia with sanctions and retaliation last weekend if he rejected a ceasefire. He now has.

With or without America, will they be good to their word?

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