PM Modi discusses trade, security in meeting with Marco Rubio; gets Trump's invite to White House
The talks come amid growing cooperation between New Delhi and Washington across key sectors, including defence, trade, technology and strategic affairs.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday held crucial talks on security and trade with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who extended an invitation to the Prime Minister to visit the White House on behalf of US President Donald Trump.
The meeting focused on strengthening the India-US Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership, along with discussions on regional and global peace and security.
US envoy Sergio Gor, who accompanied Rubio during the meeting with PM Modi, said the discussions also focused on the Indo-Pacific region, where China has increasingly sought to expand its influence. The United States has long viewed India as a key strategic counterweight to China in the region.
"We had a productive discussion on ways to deepen U.S.-India cooperation across security, trade, and critical technologies - areas that strengthen both our nations and advance a free and open Indo-Pacific. India is a vital partner to the United States!," Gor wrote in a post on X.
Following the meeting, PM Modi shared details of the interaction on X, saying, “Happy to receive the US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio. We discussed sustained progress in the India-US Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership and issues related to regional and global peace and security. India and the United States will continue to work closely for the global good.”
The timing is significant amid reports that Trump was considering renewing strikes on Iran after peace negotiations, mediated by Pakistan, failed to produce any breakthrough.
Rubio's India visit
Rubio is scheduled to hold bilateral talks with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Sunday and attend the US Embassy’s Independence Day celebrations.
On Monday, Rubio will travel to Agra and Jaipur before returning to Delhi on Tuesday morning for the Quad Foreign Ministers’ Meeting. According to people familiar with the matter, discussions between Jaishankar and Rubio are expected to focus on strengthening India-US cooperation in areas such as energy, trade, investment, critical technology and people-to-people ties.
The two sides are also likely to discuss the West Asia crisis and its economic implications, including its impact on global energy supplies. Rubio’s visit comes more than five weeks after Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri’s three-day trip to Washington DC, which aimed at stabilising bilateral ties following a period of uncertainty and strain.
Relations between New Delhi and Washington had witnessed tensions after the US imposed punitive tariffs on India, and President Donald Trump made controversial claims about his role in de-escalating the India-Pakistan military conflict last May.
In the months that followed, Trump repeatedly asserted publicly that he had helped resolve the conflict and prevented it from escalating into a full-scale war.
India, however, firmly maintained that the cessation of hostilities was achieved through direct talks between New Delhi and Islamabad, and that the United States had no role in the process.
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