US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has described India as “critical” to his country and welcomed its ongoing engagement in trade, according to the State Department.
After meeting External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on Monday, Rubio reiterated that “India is a relationship of critical importance to the United States” and expressed appreciation for the Indian government’s continued engagement on issues including trade, defense, energy, pharmaceuticals, critical minerals, and other areas related to the bilateral partnership, the Department said in a readout of their meeting.
The two leaders agreed that the United States and India would continue working together to promote a free and open Indo-Pacific region, including through the Quad, it added.
The reaffirmation of India’s value to the US came soon after President Donald Trump greeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his 75th birthday, despite recently imposing a 50 per cent tariff on Indian goods and issuing a series of harsh statements about India.
Notably, the meeting with Jaishankar was Rubio’s first official engagement of the day as he held bilateral talks with world leaders attending the high-level UN General Assembly session.
In a post on X, Jaishankar said “Our conversation covered a range of bilateral and international issues of current concern. Agreed on the importance of sustained engagement to progress on priority areas.” He added that they would remain in touch.
Before their closed-door talks, the two leaders posed for the media with a cordial handshake in front of a conference room decorated with flowers and flags but declined to take questions.
Later, Jaishankar met the US ambassador-designate to India, Sergio Gor. The State Department said on X, “They look forward to further promoting the success of the US-India relationship.” Gor, who has also been named Trump’s Special Envoy for South and Central Asia, awaits Senate confirmation for his ambassadorial appointment.
In another sign of efforts to reset ties, Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal met US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer in New York to negotiate the first tranche of a trade agreement, sources told IANS. Both sides remain hopeful of reaching an interim understanding soon, the sources added.
Despite differences on trade and India’s purchases of Russian oil, the two countries continue to share strong strategic interests, exemplified by their cooperation in the Quad alongside Australia and Japan. Rubio also referred to the Quad during the talks.
After weeks of criticism in which he described India’s economy as “dead,” Trump changed tone in his birthday message, writing on Truth Social, “He is doing a tremendous job. Narendra: Thank you for your support on ending the war between Russia and Ukraine.”
PM Modi responded on X, “Like you, I am also fully committed to taking the India-US Comprehensive and Global Partnership to new heights.”
The two countries recently resumed trade negotiations, beginning with a meeting in New Delhi between Assistant US Trade Representative Brendan Lynch and Commerce Ministry Special Secretary Rajesh Agrawal, paving the way for the Goyal-Greer discussions.
IANS