The key facts

  • Rubio arrived in Mumbai on October 20 for a two-day visit; a meeting with Jaishankar is scheduled, a meeting with Modi is not
  • In Samarkand, Rubio said the US and India are 'very close' to a trade agreement, but a deal during the visit is unlikely (AFP)
  • A visit to Jamnagar to the Reliance refinery and a wreath-laying in memory of the 2008 Mumbai attacks are planned

Visit to Mumbai

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrived on Tuesday, October 20, in Mumbai, beginning a two-day visit to India. This is his second official visit to the country this year: in May he visited New Delhi and Calcutta, where he met with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and toured the Taj Mahal. This time, a meeting with Modi is not scheduled. US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor wrote on X that he was 'glad to be back in Mumbai' and expects a productive visit.

Agenda of the talks

The main talks will be meetings with India's Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, as well as meetings with business representatives. Official spokesperson of India's Ministry of External Affairs Randhir Jaiswal wrote on X that the visit provides an opportunity to advance cooperation in various areas of the India-US comprehensive global strategic partnership. According to the state broadcasting corporation All India Radio, the talks are expected to cover key aspects of the strategic partnership, economic cooperation, regional stability and energy security. Earlier on Tuesday, Jaishankar met in Mumbai with UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan; he said that 'the situation in the Persian Gulf remains a matter of deep concern' and emphasised support for 'the free, safe and unimpeded flow of trade, energy and fertilisers'.

Trade agreement

On the eve of the visit, speaking in Samarkand, Rubio said that Washington is 'very close' to concluding a trade agreement with India. However, according to AFP, a deal during the visit looks unlikely. The sides reached an interim agreement in February aimed at reducing US tariffs on Indian goods, but a few days later the US Supreme Court struck down Trump's sweeping tariffs, creating uncertainty about the agreement's entry into force; negotiations have continued since then. India's Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said this month that the negotiations had reached 'a plateau, beyond which it will be very, very difficult to give or get'. The trade war started by President Donald Trump in April last year added tension, along with disagreements over India's imports of Russian oil and Washington's rapprochement with Pakistan. Responding to a question about temporary exemptions from sanctions on Russian oil, Rubio said that Washington has to take many factors into account, including bilateral relations with other countries and their real capabilities for their own energy supplies, adding: 'You cannot destroy other countries' economies over one central issue'.

Itinerary and other topics

Rubio plans to visit Jamnagar in the state of Gujarat — a port and stronghold of billionaire Mukesh Ambani's Reliance conglomerate with its flagship refinery, the largest in the world on a single site. He also intends to lay a wreath in memory of the 2008 Mumbai attacks, in which 166 people died. Before arriving in India, Rubio visited Uzbekistan, where he called for strengthening partnership with the countries of Central Asia. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Tuesday that he had spoken with Rubio and raised issues concerning the American military satellite system used by Ukraine and delays with missiles: according to him, he told Rubio that 'Starlink/Starshield needs to be restored', and ballistic interceptor missiles are 'needed to protect lives'. Zelensky is expected to arrive in Oslo for talks with American envoys.