NEW DELHI: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will begin a five-day visit to India and Uzbekistan on Saturday, with energy cooperation, trade negotiations and bilateral ties likely to feature prominently in discussions amid persistent differences over tariffs and India’s purchases of Russian oil.
Rubio will visit Mumbai and Jamnagar in India before travelling to Samarkand in Uzbekistan. In Mumbai, he will meet External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar for discussions on bilateral relations and areas of cooperation.
The visit comes as New Delhi and Washington seek to advance trade negotiations despite strains over US tariff policies, President Donald Trump’s repeated claims of having brokered an India-Pakistan ceasefire and a US military attack on a vessel off Oman that killed three Indian seafarers.
India has also expressed concern over US legislation that could allow tariffs of up to 100% on imports from countries purchasing Russian oil and gas, as Washington seeks to increase pressure on Moscow over its war in Ukraine.
Jaishankar said on Wednesday that India-US trade negotiations were moving towards a resolution, even as Washington’s changing economic policies compel countries to reassess their engagement with the United States.
“The United States has repositioned itself,” Jaishankar said, adding that countries needed to “recalculate and reset” their relationships with Washington. Rubio’s visit follows his four-day trip to India in May, when he met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Jaishankar to discuss trade, energy, defence, maritime security and regional developments. During his May 24 meeting with Jaishankar, Rubio expressed confidence that the two countries could reach a durable trade agreement.
India has called for an early conclusion to an interim trade agreement as a step towards a broader bilateral pact first envisaged during Modi’s February 2025 visit to Washington.
Energy cooperation is expected to be an important part of the engagement, particularly as the two countries navigate differences over Russian oil purchases and sanctions.
India has been reducing its reliance on Russian crude amid the threat of punitive US tariffs, with Russia’s share of Indian crude imports falling to about 35% in September from as high as 56% in July, according to commodities tracking platform Kpler.
The proposed US measures have raised concerns in New Delhi over the potential impact on energy security, trade and Indian exports. Rubio’s meetings will provide an opportunity for both sides to sustain diplomatic engagement while seeking progress on trade and energy issues.
The broader challenge will be to reconcile Washington’s evolving trade and sanctions policies with India’s priorities of economic growth, energy security and strategic autonomy.