The United States Secretary of State’s three-day visit to India, his second in five months, came at a significant time in U.S. politics. Marco Rubio’s Mumbai trip this week was just ahead of the U.S. midterm elections, which would mark the midpoint of President Donald Trump’s second term in office — a point at which the incumbent normally begins to focus on legacy, and possible contenders for the next Presidential election (Mr. Rubio is expected to be one), and start to look for possible partners and friendships around the world. In addition, his visit also raised hopes in New Delhi of a reset in bilateral ties, battered by two years of uncertainty over the Trump administration’s actions. This would include positive moves towards concluding the Bilateral Trade Agreement, reassuring India about U.S. sanctions on the import of Russian oil, preparations for upcoming Trump meets with Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Manila (ASEAN) and Miami (G-20) summits, discussing plans for the Quad Summit (on the sidelines of the ASEAN summit) that India has been trying to host, and setting a date for Mr. Trump’s India visit. External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar’s invitation also offered Mr. Rubio an opportunity to meet their UAE counterpart, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, to discuss the Gulf situation and to restore energy security and connectivity. And finally, Mr. Rubio’s visit to the Jamnagar Reliance refinery, led to speculation of some major deals on energy, possibly offering more discounts as he pitched for India to buy more American and U.S.-licensed Venezuelan oil.
Given all the high expectations, the visit was bound to come up short. The optics of his visit to Mumbai and Jamnagar, but not New Delhi, which was announced by the U.S. Ambassador to India, gave the Opposition fodder to question the real purpose of the visit. Despite Mr. Rubio’s two visits to India and more than six by Mr. Jaishankar to the U.S. since Mr. Trump took office, relations remain on edge, with issues on trade, tariffs, H-1B restrictions and anti-immigrant measures unaddressed. Also, the U.S.’s narrative on Operation Sindoor (2025), growing ties with Pakistan, and the Trump administration’s rhetoric on India’s economy, diaspora and Russian oil trade have added to India’s unhappiness. The two sides did not announce any agreements and Mr. Jaishankar and Mr. Rubio did not hold a joint press address. However, as they did at the U.S. Independence Day’s 250th anniversary celebrations in Delhi in May, they attended the “Freedom 250” event in Mumbai. Mr. Rubio acknowledged that while no two countries would agree on all issues, he said the U.S.-India alignment on core issues of national interest was “extraordinary”. From this point on, Mr. Rubio must walk that talk, with a view to ensuring that India-U.S. ties are able to move on from the difficulties of the last few years.
Published - October 24, 2026 12:20 am IST