'India Ties Critical': Marco Rubio On Meeting S Jaishankar Amid Tariff Row

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio engaged in diplomatic discussions with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar in New York on Monday.

New York:

On Monday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio held talks with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on the sidelines of the 80th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) session in New York. Their discussions centered on bolstering strategic partnership between India and the United States across various domains including trade, defense, energy, pharmaceuticals, and critical minerals.

Secretary Rubio shared details of the meeting on social media platform X, highlighting that their conversation explored multiple facets of bilateral relations aimed at "enhancing prosperity for both nations."

"Met with Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar at UNGA. We discussed key areas of our bilateral relationship, including trade, energy, pharmaceuticals, and critical minerals and more to generate prosperity for India and the United States," Rubio wrote on X.

Met with Indian External Affairs Minister @DrSJaishankar at UNGA. We discussed key areas of our bilateral relationship, including trade, energy, pharmaceuticals, and critical minerals and more to generate prosperity for India and the United States. pic.twitter.com/5dZJAd85Za

— Secretary Marco Rubio (@SecRubio) September 22, 2025

In an official statement, the US Department of State emphasized India's "critical importance" to Washington and welcomed India's ongoing engagement on essential sectors of mutual interest.

"Secretary Rubio, reiterating that India is a relationship of critical importance to the United States, expressed his appreciation for the Indian government's continued engagement on a number of issues, including trade, defence, energy, pharmaceuticals, critical minerals, and other items related to the bilateral relationship," the US Department of State said.

The statement further noted, "Secretary Rubio and External Affairs Minister 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."

Following the bilateral meeting on Monday, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar characterized the discussion as constructive and emphasized the importance of sustained engagement.

Jaishankar shared on X, "Good to meet Secretary of State Marco Rubio this morning 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."

This meeting marked their first direct interaction since trade tensions escalated after US President Donald Trump imposed significant tariffs on Indian goods over India's purchase of Russian oil. Despite recent challenges, the meeting represents part of broader efforts to reinforce India-US ties, which had shown strain but are now progressing toward recovery.

The two leaders previously met in Washington during the 10th Quad Foreign Ministers' Meeting in July and had also interacted in January this year. However, this bilateral meeting was their first face-to-face discussion since trade frictions intensified following President Donald Trump's tariff impositions related to India's Russian oil purchases.

The 80th session of the UNGA officially began on September 9, 2025, with the High-Level General Debate starting on September 23.