New Delhi: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Tuesday said India has made substantial progress in diversifying its energy imports, including reducing its dependence on Russian oil, as Washington looks to expand energy cooperation with New Delhi and explore opportunities involving Reliance Industries' operations in Venezuela.
Speaking to reporters in Mumbai, Rubio said New Delhi had repeatedly expressed its intention to diversify its energy portfolio, describing the move as a sensible approach amid global energy market disruptions.
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"Obviously it's not easy to do that from one day to the next, you know. So I think they've made substantial progress in that regard and we're happy to see that," Rubio said, responding to a question on India's purchases of Russian oil.
He added that the issue was not limited to Russian oil purchases but also involved India's broader efforts to diversify its sources of energy.
Rubio said the United States could become a source of some of India's energy supplies, pointing to Venezuela and other countries as potential areas for cooperation.
"We think we could be a source of some of their energy inputs," he said, adding that Washington had an interest in seeing its partners maintain a diversified energy portfolio.
The US Secretary of State also indicated that his scheduled visit to Reliance Industries' Jamnagar refinery in Gujarat would include discussions on the company's potential involvement in Venezuela's oil sector.
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Asked whether he intended to encourage Reliance to resume or expand its operations in Venezuela, Rubio said the company had previously maintained a presence in the country and possessed substantial refining capabilities.
"We're gonna go see what the hold up is and what opportunities exist," he said, adding that the discussions would help identify potential areas of cooperation.
Rubio emphasised that refining capacity was an important part of the global energy supply chain, as crude oil must be processed before it can be used as fuel. He said India's refining capabilities made Reliance a relevant partner for discussions on Venezuela's oil supplies.
The visit comes as the United States seeks closer energy engagement with India amid disruptions to global oil supplies and concerns over the availability of affordable fuels.
Rubio is on a three-day visit to India from October 20 to 22. He arrived in Mumbai and is scheduled to travel to Gujarat to visit Reliance's Jamnagar refinery.
Rubio took to X to announce that he met S Jaishankar, India's Union Minister of External Affairs adding that he discussed issues related energy security and defence cooperation between the two countries.
"In Mumbai, Indian External Affairs Minister @DrSJaishankar and I discussed energy security and defense cooperation while reaffirming the importance of advancing the U.S.-India strategic partnership," Rubio wrote.