US Secretary of State Marco Rubio is scheduled to visit Mumbai and Jamnagar in October for talks on energy cooperation, trade and strategic ties, amid continuing US concerns over India’s Russian oil imports. (Images: X)
Washington DC: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio is set to visit Mumbai and Jamnagar from October 17 to 22 as Washington looks to strengthen its strategic and economic partnership with India. Energy cooperation will be one of the key issues on the agenda during Rubio's visit.
According to the US State Department, Rubio will meet with senior Indian government officials to discuss bilateral ties, regional and global developments, and opportunities to expand energy cooperation. He will also engage with business leaders to explore commercial investment and economic partnerships.
Jamnagar in Gujarat is home to Reliance Industries’ major refining complex, one of the world’s largest. The State Department has not disclosed the specific reason for including the city in Rubio’s itinerary. The visit comes against the backdrop of continuing differences between Washington and New Delhi over India’s purchases of Russian crude oil. India significantly increased its Russian oil imports after the Ukraine conflict began in 2022, making energy trade a recurring point of contention between the two countries.
The trip also coincides with an approaching US deadline related to proposed penalties targeting countries that buy Russian energy, adding significance to discussions on energy policy and bilateral trade.
The State Department described the visit as Rubio’s second official trip to India this year. In May, he had called India a “great partner” and said energy and cooperation through the Quad would feature in his discussions.
India and the United States maintain a comprehensive global strategic partnership spanning defence, technology, trade and energy. Rubio’s meetings are expected to provide an opportunity to discuss ways to deepen cooperation while addressing differences.
Before arriving in India, Rubio will travel to Samarkand, Uzbekistan, for the C5+1 Ministerial. He is also scheduled to hold bilateral meetings with officials from the five Central Asian republics.
The US delegation will include more than 200 business leaders, according to the State Department, with commercial cooperation a major focus of the regional visit.
