EAM S Jaishankar to meet Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington ahead of critical minerals ministerial

New York: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will meet US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington on Tuesday ahead of an inaugural ministerial on critical minerals, the meeting coming as President Donald Trump announced a trade deal with India.

Rubio will meet Jaishankar at the Department of State on Tuesday afternoon. Jaishankar is on a visit to the United States from February 2-4 and will participate in the Critical Minerals Ministerial convened by Rubio on Wednesday.

During the visit, Jaishankar will also hold meetings with senior members of the US administration, the Ministry of External Affairs had said.

The meeting between Jaishankar and Rubio will come just a day after US President Donald Trump announced on Truth Social that India and the US agreed to a trade deal under which Washington will bring down the reciprocal tariff on Delhi from 25 per cent to 18 per cent.

In a post on X, Modi said, “Delighted that Made in India products will now have a reduced tariff of 18 per cent. Big thanks to President Trump on behalf of the 1.4 billion people of India for this wonderful announcement.” "When two large economies and the world’s largest democracies work together, it benefits our people and unlocks immense opportunities for mutually beneficial cooperation. President Trump’s leadership is vital for global peace, stability, and prosperity. India fully supports his efforts for peace. I look forward to working closely with him to take our partnership to unprecedented heights,” Modi had said.

The State Department said that at the inaugural Critical Minerals Ministerial, the United States will welcome delegations to advance collective efforts to strengthen and diversify critical minerals supply chains.

"This historic gathering will create momentum for collaboration to secure these critical components vital to technological innovation, economic strength, and national security,” the State Department said.

US Vice President JD Vance, Rubio, Special Assistant to the President of the United States and Senior Director for Global Supply Chains David Copley, and Under Secretary of State for Economic Affairs Jacob Helberg will deliver opening remarks at the ministerial.