Jaishankar-Rubio hail India-US trade deal

New York/Washington: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio “welcomed” the trade deal reached between President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and discussed “formalising” bilateral cooperation on critical minerals exploration and mining during their meeting in Washington DC on Tuesday. Rubio held bilateral discussions with Jaishankar at the State Department, ahead of the inaugural Critical Minerals Ministerial meeting being convened by the US on Wednesday.

“Delighted to meet US @SecRubio this afternoon. A wide ranging conversation that covered our bilateral cooperation agenda, regional and global issues,” Jaishankar posted on X after the meeting. “Facets of India-US Strategic Partnership discussed included trade, energy, nuclear, defence, critical minerals and technology. Agreed on the early meetings of various mechanisms to advance our shared interests,” he wrote. A readout of the bilateral meeting provided by State Department Principal Deputy Spokesperson Tommy Pigott said that Rubio and Jaishankar “welcomed the trade deal reached between President Trump and Prime Minister Modi. The two leaders emphasised the importance of our democracies working together to unlock new economic opportunities and advance our shared energy security goals.” Pigott further said that Rubio and Jaishankar “discussed formalising bilateral cooperation on critical minerals exploration, mining and processing.”

Rubio and Jaishankar “concluded their meeting by expressing their commitment to expanding bilateral and multilateral cooperation through the Quad. They acknowledged that a prosperous Indo-Pacific region remains vital to advancing our shared interests,” the readout said, referring to the four-nation grouping of Australia, India, Japan and the US.