Jaishankar Meets Rubio in Washington, Welcomes India-US Trade Deal and Talks Critical Minerals

Washington | 4 Feb 2026 External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington, DC, where both leaders “welcomed” the recently announced India-US trade deal and held wide-ranging discussions on strengthening cooperation in key areas. The meeting took place at the US State Department ahead of the first critical minerals ministerial meeting being hosted by the United States. The talks focused on trade, energy security and ways to deepen strategic ties between the two democracies. After the meeting, Jaishankar said the discussions covered the full “bilateral cooperation agenda” along with important regional and global issues. In a post on X, he said, “A wide-ranging conversation that covered our bilateral cooperation agenda, regional and global issues. Facets of the 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.” Both sides also discussed steps to formalise cooperation in the exploration, mining and processing of critical minerals, an area seen as vital for future industries and clean energy goals. According to a summary shared by the US State Department’s principal deputy spokesperson Tommy Pigott, Rubio and Jaishankar “welcomed the trade deal reached between President Trump and Prime Minister Modi.” The statement added that the two leaders spoke about the need for democracies like India and the US to work together to “unlock new economic opportunities and advance our shared energy security goals”. They also reaffirmed their commitment to expanding cooperation through the Quad and agreed that a stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific region is essential for shared interests. The India-US trade deal was announced after a phone call between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Donald Trump on Monday. The agreement follows nearly a year of difficult negotiations that had strained ties and left India facing high US tariffs. Under the new deal, Indian goods will now face a reduced US tariff of 18%, down from the earlier 25%. Trump said the deal goes beyond tariffs, adding that India would cut tariffs and non-tariff barriers on US goods to zero and commit to buying over $500 billion worth of American products. Officials said the agreement protects India’s sensitive sectors, as Indian dairy and certain agriculture items have been kept out of the deal. At the same time, it allows zero-duty access for over $40 billion worth of Indian goods and lowers duties on labour-intensive exports such as textiles, leather, marine products, chemicals and some agricultural items. The deal is being seen as a major step forward in strengthening economic and strategic ties between India and the United Jaishankar, Rubio Back India-US Trade Deal, Discuss Critical Minerals Partnership External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington, DC, on Tuesday, where both leaders “welcomed” the newly announced India-US trade deal. The meeting took place at the US State Department ahead of the first critical minerals ministerial meeting being hosted by the United States. During the talks, the two sides discussed strengthening cooperation in areas such as trade, energy and strategic resources. Jaishankar said the discussion covered a broad “bilateral cooperation agenda” along with key regional and global matters. In a post on X, he wrote, “A wide-ranging conversation that covered our bilateral cooperation agenda, regional and global issues. Facets of the 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.” The leaders also explored ways to move forward on joint efforts in the exploration, mining and processing of critical minerals. According to the US State Department, Rubio and Jaishankar “welcomed the trade deal reached between President Trump and Prime Minister Modi.” They also spoke about the importance of democracies working together to “unlock new economic opportunities and advance our shared energy security goals”. The two leaders reaffirmed their commitment to cooperation through the Quad and stressed that a stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific region is important for shared global interests. The trade deal was announced after a phone call between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Donald Trump. It follows months of difficult negotiations and reduces US tariffs on Indian goods to 18% from the earlier 25%. Trump said the agreement goes beyond tariffs, adding that India would cut tariffs and non-tariff barriers on US goods to zero and commit to large purchases of American products. The deal excludes Indian dairy and other “sensitive” farm items, while giving better market access to several Indian exports.