Rubio in India: Trade deal very close as US Secretary of State begins three-day visit
Marco Rubio began a three-day India visit in Mumbai. He says the US-India trade deal is very close with talks on energy, defence and West Asia
PTC Web Desk:Â Â US Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrived in India on Tuesday for a three-day trip aimed at deepening ties with New Delhi on energy, trade, investment, defence and emerging technologies. The two sides are also expected to compare notes on the ongoing crisis in West Asia.
This is Rubio’s second visit to India this year. In May, he met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and took part in a Quad foreign ministers’ meeting. This time he has brought a large business delegation with him, which signals that the economic relationship will be the main focus.
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Mumbai schedule
The US embassy welcomed Rubio on social media soon after his plane touched down at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport. On Tuesday afternoon, he is scheduled to meet Jaishankar to discuss how to strengthen the India-US Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership.
He will also lay a wreath at the Taj memorial to pay tribute to the victims of the 26/11 terror attacks, in which more than 160Â persons were killed, including six American citizens. Later, he will attend a reception marking 250 years of American independence. On Wednesday, he travels to Jamnagar in Gujarat.
Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said last week that the talks would cover energy, trade and investment, defence, critical and emerging technologies and other shared interests. He described the visit as a chance to keep high-level engagement going and move shared priorities forward.
Trade deal 'very close'
Speaking in Uzbekistan before heading to India, Rubio said Washington is “very close” to finalising a trade deal with New Delhi. He also hinted that this progress played a part when President Donald Trump decided on national security waivers, including the one on tariffs linked to Russian oil purchases.
Last week, Trump suspended certain sanctions on Russia and on five of the largest buyers of Russian oil, India among them.
The two countries have been negotiating since early 2025 to settle tariff disputes, remove non-tariff barriers and widen market access. India is pushing for tariff terms better than those given to its competitors in the US market. Jaishankar said a few days ago that the talks were nearing a “landing point.”
A relationship under strain
The visit comes at a delicate time. Ties took a major hit after the US imposed heavy tariffs on India last year and after President Trump’s remarks about his role in calming the India-Pakistan military clashes of May 2025 drew a sharp response from Indian officials. The higher H-1B visa fee and Washington’s new immigration policy added to the friction.
More recently, the US decided to restrict a key green-card processing programme used by large global and Indian IT firms, including Tata Consultancy Services and Wipro, which put fresh strain on the relationship.