External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in New York on Monday. The meeting took place on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) session in New York.
India is a relationship of critical importance to the United States, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said after meeting with External Affairs (EAM) Minister S Jaishankar. He met Jaishankar on Monday on the sidelines of the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York.
Rubio reiterated that “India is a relationship of critical importance to the United States” and expressed his appreciation for the Indian governmentโs continued engagement on a number of issues, including trade, defence, energy, pharmaceuticals, critical minerals, and other items related to the bilateral relationship”, a readout of the meeting provided by the State Department said.
“Rubio and Jaishankar agreed that the United States and India will continue working together to promote a free and open Indo-Pacific region, including through the Quad,” the statement added.
What did Jaishankar say about meeting with Rubio?
In a post on X, Jaishankar said it was “good to meet” Rubio in New York. “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. We will remain in touch,” he said.
Rubio said in a post on X that he discussed with Jaishankar “key areas of our bilateral relationship, including trade, energy, pharmaceuticals, and critical minerals and more to generate prosperity for India and the United States”.
The meeting, which lasted for about an hour, was the first in-person talk between Rubio and Jaishankar amid tensions between the two countries over the last few months on trade, tariffs and New Delhi’s purchases of Russian energy.
Trump tariffs on Indiaย
The Trump administration imposed an additional 25 per cent tariff on New Delhi as a penalty for its purchases of Russian oil, taking the total levies imposed on India by the US to 50 per cent, among the highest in the world.
Just days before the meeting, President Donald Trump signed a proclamation imposing a staggering USD 100,000 fee on new H1B visas. The announcement caused widespread concern and panic among Indian professionals, including those from the IT and medical fields, who are the largest beneficiaries of the H1B skilled-worker program.
The bilateral meeting on the margins of the UNGA high-level week came the same day India and the US held discussions towards achieving an early conclusion of a trade agreement.
A delegation led by Union Commerce and Industries Minister Piyush Goyal is in New York for talks with the US side, with a focus on advancing a mutually beneficial Trade Agreement. “The delegation plans to take forward the discussions with a view to achieving early conclusion of a mutually beneficial Trade Agreement,” the Ministry of Commerce and Industry had said.
The first tranche of the Bilateral Trade Agreement is expected to be concluded by October-November 2025. The agreement is aimed at more than doubling the bilateral trade to USD 500 billion by 2030 from the current USD 191 billion.
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