Relationship with India of critical importance to US: Marco Rubio after meeting EAM Jaishankar

New York: India is a relationship of critical importance to the United States, Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said as he met External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar here and voiced "appreciation" for New Delhi's continued engagement on bilateral issues, including trade, defence and energy.

He met Jaishankar here on Monday morning on the sidelines of the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly high-level week.

Rubio reiterated that "India is a relationship of critical importance to the United States" and expressed his appreciation for the Indian government’s continued engagement on a number of issues, including trade, defence, energy, pharmaceuticals, critical minerals, and other items related to the bilateral relationship", a readout of the meeting provided by the State Department said.

Rubio and Jaishankar agreed that the United States and India will continue working together to promote a free and open Indo-Pacific region, including through the Quad, the statement added.

In a post on X, Jaishankar said it was "good to meet" Rubio in New York.

"Our conversation covered a range of bilateral and international issues of current concern. Agreed on the importance of sustained engagement to progress on priority areas. We will remain in touch," he said.

Rubio said in a post on X that he discussed with Jaishankar "key areas of our bilateral relationship, including trade, energy, pharmaceuticals, and critical minerals and more to generate prosperity for India and the United States".

The meeting, which lasted for about an hour, was the first in-person talk between Rubio and Jaishankar amid tensions between the two countries over the last few months on trade, tariffs and New Delhi's purchases of Russian energy.

The Trump administration imposed an additional 25 per cent tariff on New Delhi as a penalty for its purchases of Russian oil, taking the total levies imposed on India by the US to 50 per cent, among the highest in the world.

Just days before the meeting, President Donald Trump signed a proclamation imposing a staggering USD 100,000 fee on new H1B visas. The announcement caused widespread concern and panic among Indian professionals, including those from the IT and medical fields, who are the largest beneficiaries of the H1B skilled-worker program.

Rubio and Jaishankar had last held bilateral discussions in July in Washington DC, on the sidelines of the Quad Foreign Ministers' Meeting.

The bilateral meeting on the margins of the UNGA high-level week came the same day India and the US held discussions towards achieving an early conclusion of a trade agreement.

A delegation led by Union Commerce and Industries Minister Piyush Goyal is in New York for meetings with the US side on September 22. "The delegation plans to take forward the discussions with a view to achieving early conclusion of a mutually beneficial Trade Agreement," the Ministry of Commerce and Industry had said.

The two countries had hoped to conclude the first tranche of a Bilateral Trade Agreement by October-November of 2025. The pact is aimed at more than doubling the bilateral trade to USD 500 billion by 2030 from the current USD 191 billion.

During the last visit of the team of officials from the office of United States Trade Representative to India on September 16, "positive discussions were held on various aspects of the trade deal, and it was decided to intensify efforts in this regard." On Monday, Jaishankar also met European Union Foreign Ministers at their informal meeting.

He thanked EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas for hosting him. "An opportunity to have open exchange of views on multilateralism, India-EU partnership, Ukraine conflict, Gaza, energy and trade," Jaishankar remarked.

US Ambassador nominee to India and Special Envoy for South and Central Asia Sergio Gor also met Jaishankar on the margins of the UN General Assembly. “They look forward to further promoting the success of the U.S.-India relationship," the State Department's Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs said.

Jaishankar arrived in New York Sunday for the high-level UNGA week, commencing his engagements with a bilateral meeting with Philippines Secretary of Foreign Affairs Theresa P. Lazaro. “We followed up on the recent State Visit of President @bongbongmarcos to India. Also discussed our cooperation in the UN and the Indo-Pacific region,” the Indian external affairs minister said in a post on X.

Lazaro said it was a pleasure to meet Jaishankar again after President Bongbong Marcos’s "successful" state visit to India in August. "Our discussion today reaffirms our two countries’ commitment as Strategic Partners to actively develop cooperation in political, defence and security, the maritime domain, etc," she said.

Jaishankar will hold a series of bilateral and multilateral meetings during the week on the sidelines of the high-level UNGA session and will deliver the national statement at the General Debate on September 27 from the iconic green UNGA podium.