NEW DELHI: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrived in India on Tuesday for talks on the ongoing negotiations over trade tariffs, defense cooperation and energy security.
Starting his trip in India’s financial capital, Mumbai, Rubio was received by External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and will hold meetings with business leaders.
“We shared views on further advancement of our ties, focusing on trade, energy, technology, defense and people-to-people ties,” Jaishankar said after the meeting.
The visit comes days after US President Donald Trump waived potential tariffs on India for its Russian oil purchases, as the American administration pursues a bilateral trade agreement.
Rubio told reporters in Mumbai that the US was “very close” to finalizing the deal.
“I would say we’re about as close as you can be without having executed the agreement. I think there’s a small number of items left to wrap up, so I think that will happen shortly,” he said.
On his two-day trip, he is scheduled to visit on Wednesday the Reliance Industries crude oil refining complex in Jamnagar, the world’s largest such facility, which belongs to Mukesh Ambani, India’s second-richest man.
“India is a refining superpower. They have the capability to refine heavy crude. They’ve done so in the past, and I think as more and more Venezuelan oil comes online, it’s something they can do,” Rubio said, asked if he would encourage Reliance to enter production in Venezuela, whose vast petroleum reserves have been managed by the US administration since it ousted the South American nation’s former President Nicolas Maduro in January.
“I think what India has expressed repeatedly is its desire to diversify its energy portfolio, which is a smart thing to do ... We’ve discussed Venezuela and other countries, and I think it’s in our interest to have strong allies with diverse energy portfolios.”
It is Rubio’s second India trip this year and follows his visit to Uzbekistan, where he met Central Asian business leaders.
According to Anil Raman, research fellow at the Takshashila Institution, the Asia tour, including India, is focused on economic and commercial negotiations ahead of the US midterm elections next month, where increasing grocery and fuel prices due to Trump’s war with Iran are among Americans’ top concerns.
“He’s coming along with 200-odd businessmen,” Raman said. “The economy is the main thing on the agenda in the midterm elections, so they have to show that they’re making an effort to sort of resolve these things. I think that’s a reason for Marco Rubio’s visit at this particular time.”