Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrived in India on Tuesday to boost trade ties and meet two of the country’s most powerful business leaders, even as attacks by President Trump have strained ties between the countries.
Mr. Rubio met with his Indian counterpart, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, and was expected to meet executives of half a dozen Indian companies that have a large presence in the United States. These include Asia’s two richest men, Gautam Adani and Mukesh Ambani.
Talks between the two top diplomats covered developments in the Middle East, as well as energy. The United States has been pushing India to reduce its reliance on Russian oil and to get more of its energy from the United States.
“The Secretary reiterated that increased energy trade with the United States can play a transformative role in diversifying India’s supply chains while meeting its sizable consumer demand,” the state department said in a statement after the meeting between Mr. Rubio and Mr. Jaishankar.
Mumbai, India’s financial capital, was selected for the visit because of the visit’s intended focus on commercial diplomacy, according to a senior U.S. official who briefed members of the news media before Mr. Rubio’s trip. The official said the two countries were close to finalizing a bilateral trade deal, and that senior-level visits in both directions in recent months were focused on hammering out remaining details.
Mr. Adani, a billionaire who is a close ally of Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India, was indicted in the United States in 2024 on charges of bribery and fraud. But the criminal charges were dismissed in August, after Mr. Adani offered to invest billions of dollars in the United States.
This spring, Mr. Trump announced that Mr. Ambani’s Reliance Industries would be a partner in building an oil refinery in Brownsville, Texas.
Mr. Rubio, who is widely seen as a contender in the next U.S. presidential election, is also expected to visit Jamnagar, a city in the state of Gujarat that is home to the world’s largest oil refinery, which is owned by Reliance. In Jamnagar, Mr. Rubio is expected to make a stop at Vantara, a wildlife rescue center built by the Ambani family.
“You have a company with a massive amount of refining capability — I think I should go talk to them,” Mr. Rubio told reporters after arriving in Mumbai on Tuesday.
The ties between India and the United States have been rocky during the second Trump administration, in contrast to the warm relationship shared by Mr. Modi and Mr. Trump during the American president’s first term. The relationship has been particularly tested by the United States’ singling out India for its purchases of Russian oil, and it has been marked by a contrast between talks reflecting close ties and harsh attacks that have often caught Indian officials by surprise.
India has faced threats of U.S. sanctions over its purchase of Russian oil. But the United States suddenly changed course earlier this month, announcing its own deal to purchase diesel from Russia.
Pragati K.B. and Edward Wong contributed reporting.
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