India's External Affairs Minister Jaishankar Meets US Secretary Rubio at ASEAN Summit Amid Trade Deal Progress

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar held discussions with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio during their meeting in Kuala Lumpur.

In Kuala Lumpur, India's External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar engaged in talks with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Monday. Their discussions encompassed bilateral relations along with regional and global matters, occurring amid ongoing trade negotiations between the two nations.

The meeting was conducted on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit currently taking place in Malaysia.

Jaishankar shared on his X platform: "Glad to meet @SecRubio this morning in Kuala Lumpur. Appreciated the discussion on our bilateral ties as well as regional and global issues."

This diplomatic encounter comes as the proposed bilateral trade agreement between India and the United States is reportedly "very near" to completion, according to an official source. To date, five rounds of negotiations have been conducted for the initial phase of this trade agreement.

Prior to meeting Rubio, Jaishankar held separate discussions on Sunday with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, Singapore's Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan, and Thailand's Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow.

The ASEAN bloc, comprising 11 nations, stands as one of the region's most influential groupings. India, alongside countries including the US, China, Japan, and Australia, maintains dialogue partner status with the organization.

Malaysia is currently hosting the annual ASEAN summit and related meetings in Kuala Lumpur as the present chair of the regional grouping.