US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the United States views its relationship with India as “incredibly important” and promised “more exciting and new announcements” in the months ahead to strengthen ties, after meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi on Saturday.
Rubio spoke at the opening of a new annex at the US Embassy before a meeting with Modi that lasted more than an hour. External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval attended the talks. The secretary described the US-India relationship as the “cornerstone” of America’s Indo-Pacific approach and said his visit was meant to reaffirm and build on that foundation.
According to Indian and US readouts, Rubio briefed Modi on the situation in West Asia and discussed cooperation across defence, strategic technologies, trade, energy security, connectivity, education and people-to-people ties. Modi reiterated India’s support for peaceful resolution of conflicts through dialogue and diplomacy and asked Rubio to convey his warm greetings to President Donald Trump.
On behalf of President Trump, Rubio invited Prime Minister Modi to visit the White House “in the near future,” US Ambassador Sergio Gor said. Gor and State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott both described the meeting as productive, highlighting the strategic importance of the partnership and broad economic and security opportunities.
Energy security was a prominent topic. With India facing supply pressures after disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz and periodic sanctions affecting Russian crude purchases, Rubio reportedly offered US crude as an option to diversify India’s energy imports. The visit coincided with India’s state-owned oil firms raising fuel prices for the third time since May 15 to offset losses from expensive purchases.
Rubio highlighted deeper commercial and security ties, noting recent investments and military cooperation. He cited roughly USD 20 billion in investments from Indian firms in the United States and said security cooperation has expanded through joint exercises in the Indo-Pacific. Both countries reiterated support for the presidents’ and prime ministers’ shared goal—referred to as “Mission 500”—to double bilateral trade by 2030.
Rubio also underlined the personal rapport between President Trump and Prime Minister Modi as an important anchor of the partnership, calling the leaders “two very serious leaders” focused on long-term cooperation. He said the US wanted the upcoming Quad foreign ministers’ meeting, scheduled for May 26, to be held in India as a tangible sign of India’s role in the Indo-Pacific.
Earlier in the day Rubio visited Kolkata and the Missionaries of Charity, whose licence to receive foreign contributions under the FCRA was revoked and later restored in 2022. His India trip, lasting four days, is widely seen as an effort to recalibrate bilateral ties after a period of strain since mid-last year.
Relations cooled following US punitive tariffs and public statements by President Trump asserting he had helped de-escalate India-Pakistan tensions—claims New Delhi rejected, saying the cessation resulted from direct talks between India and Pakistan. In recent months both governments have taken steps to repair relations, including high-level exchanges such as Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri’s visit to Washington earlier this year.
Rubio’s schedule includes further talks with S. Jaishankar, travel to Agra and Jaipur, and a return to Delhi for the Quad foreign ministers’ meeting. Officials on both sides said they aim to firm up a mutually beneficial trade deal and advance cooperation across security, technology and energy to support a free and open Indo-Pacific.
