Photo: U.S. Department of State / Wikimedia Commons, public domain
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio used talks with External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar in Mumbai on Tuesday (October 20) to urge India to buy more American energy, technology and military and nuclear equipment, and said the two countries were on the verge of closing a long-delayed trade agreement.
Rubio arrived for a three-day visit with a large business delegation. It is his second trip to India in less than five months, after he came to Delhi for the Quad foreign ministers’ meeting in May.
A sales pitch on energy and arms
According to the State Department’s readout, Rubio told the Indian side that buying more energy from the United States could play a “transformative role” in diversifying India’s supply chains. He praised recent progress in defence and civil nuclear cooperation and argued for greater purchases of US technologies and systems. The two ministers also discussed developments in West Asia.
Jaishankar said on social media that they had exchanged views on taking ties forward in trade, energy, technology, defence and people-to-people links. Indian officials did not immediately respond to the US push on purchases.
Speaking to reporters, Rubio said a deal was “about as close as you can be without having an executed agreement”, with only a small number of items left. He said he hoped the leaders could sign it soon after.
Venezuelan crude and the Jamnagar visit
Calling India a “refining superpower”, Rubio said he would visit Reliance Industries’ Jamnagar refinery, the world’s largest with a capacity of 1.4 million barrels a day, on Wednesday. He wants to discuss refining more Venezuelan heavy crude there and to see what is holding it up, noting that Indian firms already hold oil concessions in Venezuela but may face hurdles from older sanctions.
Energy is related to national security. Countries fight wars over energy, economies collapse over lack of energy.
Marco Rubio, US Secretary of State
Asked about India’s purchases of Russian oil, which still make up roughly half of its crude imports, Rubio said New Delhi had made “substantial progress” in diversifying and that the US and Venezuela could supply more. He linked tight global fuel supplies, including diesel shortages, to the situation in the Strait of Hormuz, Houthi attacks on Saudi energy sites and strikes on refineries in the Russia-Ukraine war.
Strains in the background
The visit comes amid friction over US curbs on H-1B visas, earlier threats of sanctions over Russian oil that were later held off, the stalled trade talks and Washington’s closer engagement with Pakistan’s military leadership. Rubio also rejected criticism that he had summoned Jaishankar to Mumbai, pointing out that the minister had visited the US four times this year.
Jaishankar and Rubio later held a joint meeting with UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan on energy, trade and connectivity. They also laid a wreath at the 26/11 memorial at the Taj Mahal Palace hotel. At a reception marking 250 years of American independence, Jaishankar welcomed the US decision to extradite Tahawwur Hussain Rana, an accused in the 2008 attacks.
We are clear on our right to defend ourselves against terrorism and expect our partners to show zero tolerance toward terrorism as well.
S. Jaishankar, External Affairs Minister
What comes next
Rubio heads to Jamnagar on Wednesday for the refinery visit, which will also take in the Vantara animal facility. On the trade agreement, he said he hoped to have “good news to announce fairly soon”.
