EAM S. Jaishankar meets US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar met US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington last night ahead of the critical minerals ministerial scheduled for today. In a social media post, Dr Jaishakar said that he was delighted to meet him. The External Affairs Minister said a wide-ranging conversation that covered our bilateral cooperation agenda, regional and global issues.

He also said facets of India – US Strategic Partnership discussed included trade, energy, nuclear, defence, critical minerals and technology. He also said that they agreed on the early meetings of various mechanisms to advance our shared interests. US Principal Deputy Spokesperson Tommy Pigott, in a readout, said that the Secretary and External Affairs Minister discussed formalising bilateral cooperation on critical minerals exploration, mining, and processing. Secretary Rubio and Minister Jaishankar welcomed the trade deal reached between President Trump and Prime Minister Modi.

The two leaders emphasised the importance of their democracies working together to unlock new economic opportunities and advance our shared energy security goals. Secretary Rubio and Minister Jaishankar concluded their meeting by expressing their commitment to expanding bilateral and multilateral cooperation through the Quad.  They acknowledged that a prosperous Indo-Pacific region remains vital to advancing our shared interests.

The meeting came during Dr Jaishankar’s three-day visit to the United States and a day after India and the US announced a trade deal under which Washington agreed to cut tariffs on Indian goods to 18 per cent. The United States is set to host the inaugural critical minerals ministerial today in Washington DC, bringing together delegations from more than 50 countries to deepen cooperation on securing and diversifying global critical mineral supply chains.

Earlier Dr. Jaishankar also met US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, with the two sides discussing ways to advance the India-US economic partnership and strengthen strategic cooperation. In a social media post, he said he had a useful discussion with Mr Bessent on the advancement of India- US economic partnership and strategic cooperation.