On his first official trip to India, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Saturday invited Prime Minister Narendra Modi to visit the White House on behalf of US President Donald Trump.
“News! Secretary Marco Rubio extended an invite on behalf of President Donald Trump, for Prime Minister Modi to visit the White House in the near future,” US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor posted on X.
Rubio’s visit to India comes efforts by both sides to stabilise bilateral ties after months of strain over trade tariffs, Operation Sindoor, immigration concerns – particularly the H-1B visa – in the US, and the more recent crisis in West Asia that has imperiled India’s energy security.
In a post on X after the meeting, US Ambassador Sergio Gor said Rubio and Modi held discussions on expanding cooperation across strategic sectors.
“Great to join @SecRubio for a meeting with Prime Minister @narendramodi. We had a productive discussion on ways to deepen U.S.-India cooperation across security, trade, and critical technologies – areas that strengthen both our nations and advance a free and open Indo-Pacific. India is a vital partner to the United States!” Gor said.
Modi also acknowledged the meeting in a social media post, saying “Happy to receive US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.”
In a post on X, PM added, “We discussed sustained progress in the India-US Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership and issues related to regional and global peace and security. India and the United States will continue to work closely for the global good.”
Rubio arrived in India on Saturday and is scheduled to hold wide-ranging talks with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, apart from participating in the Quad foreign ministers’ meeting in New Delhi.
After landing in Kolkata earlier in the day, Rubio visited the Mother House, the headquarters of Saint Teresa’s Missionaries of Charity, before travelling to the national capital.
He will also travel to Agra and Jaipur on Monday before returning to Delhi on Tuesday for the Quad Foreign Ministers’ Meeting.
According to a PTI report, talks between Jaishankar and Rubio are expected to focus on cooperation in energy, trade, investment, critical technology, and people-to-people exchanges.
The two sides are also likely to discuss the West Asia crisis and its impact on energy supplies and the global economy, the report said.
Rubio’s visit comes more than a month after India’s Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri travelled to Washington D.C. for talks aimed at stabilising ties following a patchy period in the relationship.
India-US ties had come under pressure after Washington imposed punitive tariffs on India, and Trump repeatedly claimed he had played a role in defusing India-Pakistan military tensions last May.
New Delhi maintained that the cessation of hostilities resulted from direct talks between India and Pakistan and that the US had no role in the process.
Differences over Washington’s immigration policies and the increase in H-1B visa fees had also contributed to tensions in bilateral ties.
However, both sides earlier this year finalised a framework for a bilateral trade deal after months of negotiations. The next steps for the deal, however, have been clouded by recent judicial verdicts by US courts that invalidated any tariffs imposed by President Trump.
President Trump and PM Modi also held a nearly 40-minute-long telephone conversation on April 14, during which they reviewed progress in bilateral cooperation and reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening the India-US comprehensive global strategic partnership across sectors.
