A day after India and the United States concluded a bilateral trade agreement, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar met US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington on Tuesday.
The leaders held wide-ranging discussions covering trade, energy, nuclear cooperation, defence, critical minerals, and technology. The meeting took place ahead of the inaugural Critical Minerals Ministerial, which the United States is convening on Wednesday.
“Delighted to meet US @SecRubio this afternoon. A wide ranging conversation that covered our bilateral cooperation agenda, regional and global issues,” Jaishankar wrote on X.
“Facets of India-US Strategic Partnership discussed included trade, energy, nuclear, defence, critical minerals and technology. Agreed on the early meetings of various mechanisms to advance our shared interests,” he added.
In a statement, State Department Principal Deputy Spokesperson Tommy Pigott said both Rubio and Jaishankar welcomed the trade deal reached between President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
“The two leaders emphasised the importance of our democracies working together to unlock new economic opportunities and advance shared energy security goals,” the statement said.
The discussions also included plans to formalise bilateral cooperation on the exploration, mining and processing of critical minerals.
Jaishankar and Rubio reaffirmed their commitment to expanding bilateral and multilateral cooperation through the Quad—the four-nation grouping of Australia, India, Japan and the United States—and underscored that a prosperous Indo-Pacific region remains central to advancing shared interests.
Jaishankar is on a visit to the US from February 2 to 4 and will participate in the Critical Minerals Ministerial convened by Rubio.
On Monday, President Trump announced that India and the United States had agreed to a trade deal under which Washington would reduce reciprocal tariffs on Indian goods from 25 per cent to 18 per cent.
After trade deal, Jaishankar and Rubio discuss India–US strategic partnership in Washington
