US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Sunday (Oct 26) said that while his country is seeking to expand its “strategic relationship” with Pakistan, it won’t come at the cost of Washington’s “deep, historic, and important” ties with India. Speaking to reporters ahead of his meeting with the Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar at the ASEAN summit in Malaysia, Rubio said that this was part of “a mature, pragmatic foreign policy.”“I think they (India) have to understand we have to have relations with a lot of different countries. We see an opportunity to expand our strategic relationship with Pakistan,” he said. “I think the Indians are very mature when it comes to diplomacy and things of that nature. Look, they have some relationships with countries that we don’t have relationships with. So, it’s part of a mature, pragmatic foreign policy.”“I don’t think anything we’re doing with Pakistan comes at the expense of our relationship or friendship with India, which is deep, historic, and important,” Rubio said.Earlier, US President Donald Trump highlighted the United States’ close ties with Pakistan at the ASEAN summit, where he called Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Army Chief Asim Munir “great people” and said that he would “quickly” help to resolve the country’s recent conflict with Afghanistan.Trump has also repeatedly alleged to broker a ceasefire between India and Pakistan, a claim which India has consistently rejected. On the other hand, Islamabad has credited the US president for stopping the conflict between the two countries.Rubio also acknowledged the challenges between India and the US, including recent tensions over tariffs imposed by Trump and New Delhi’s purchase of Russian oil. “We’re fully aware of the challenges with India, but our job is to create opportunities for partnerships where possible,” he said.“If they diversified their portfolio, the more they buy it from us, the more they’ll buy it from someone else. But I wouldn’t prejudge or — I’m not negotiating trade deals. So I’m not going to speak on that,” he said. “But I know they’ve (India) already expressed a desire to diversify their oil portfolio, even before all of this came up. So, obviously the more we sell them, the less they’ll buy from someone else. And, but, we’ll see where we wind up on all that.”

Rubio also acknowledged the challenges between India and the US, including recent tensions over tariffs imposed by Trump and New Delhi’s purchase of Russian oil.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Sunday (Oct 26) said that while his country is seeking to expand its “strategic relationship” with Pakistan, it won’t come at the cost of Washington’s “deep, historic, and important” ties with India. Speaking to reporters ahead of his meeting with the Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar at the ASEAN summit in Malaysia, Rubio said that this was part of “a mature, pragmatic foreign policy.” “I think they (India) have to understand we have to have relations with a lot of different countries. We see an opportunity to expand our strategic relationship with Pakistan,” he said. “I think the Indians are very mature when it comes to diplomacy and things of that nature. Look, they have some relationships with countries that we don’t have relationships with. So, it’s part of a mature, pragmatic foreign policy.” “I don’t think anything we’re doing with Pakistan comes at the expense of our relationship or friendship with India, which is deep, historic, and important,” Rubio said. Earlier, US President Donald Trump highlighted the United States’ close ties with Pakistan at the ASEAN summit, where he called Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Army Chief Asim Munir “great people” and said that he would “quickly” help to resolve the country’s recent conflict with Afghanistan. Trump has also repeatedly alleged to broker a ceasefire between India and Pakistan, a claim which India has consistently rejected. On the other hand, Islamabad has credited the US president for stopping the conflict between the two countries. Rubio also acknowledged the challenges between India and the US, including recent tensions over tariffs imposed by Trump and New Delhi’s purchase of Russian oil. “We’re fully aware of the challenges with India, but our job is to create opportunities for partnerships where possible,” he said. “If they diversified their portfolio, the more they buy it from us, the more they’ll buy it from someone else. But I wouldn’t prejudge or — I’m not negotiating trade deals. So I’m not going to speak on that,” he said. “But I know they’ve (India) already expressed a desire to diversify their oil portfolio, even before all of this came up. So, obviously the more we sell them, the less they’ll buy from someone else. And, but, we’ll see where we wind up on all that.”

Rubio also acknowledged the challenges between India and the US, including recent tensions over tariffs imposed by Trump and New Delhi’s purchase of Russian oil.

‘Not at expense of relationship with India’: Rubio on warming ties between US and Pakistan

India’s External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on the sidelines of the 80th UN General Assembly (UNGA) session on Monday (Sep 22). Their meeting comes at a key moment amid the trade tensions between the two countries and the US H-1B visa fee hike. Last week, US President Donald Trump announced a significant increase of $100,000 in the annual fee for new visas, which is popular among Indian tech workers in the US.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WATCH?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WATCH</a> | New York: External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar meets US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, on the sidelines of the 80th UN General Assembly (UNGA) session. <a href="https://t.co/BPoTm5Udfi">pic.twitter.com/BPoTm5Udfi</a>&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/1970142949506683139?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 22, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

The meeting between the leaders marked the first in-person interaction after Trump announced 50 per cent tariffs on Indian goods, citing the Russian oil purchases and unfair trade policies of New Delhi.Last week on Tuesday (Sep 17), US and Indian officials held discussions to negotiate a Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA) between the two countries in New Delhi. Following the meeting, Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal hailed the bond between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump, stressing that every situation will be dealt “satisfactorily” and talks were ongoing.&nbsp;Days earlier, Trump announced an annual $100,000 fee for H-1B skilled worker visas, a move expected to result in major repercussions for the tech industry, where this permit is widespread. In a statement, India’s Ministry of External Affairs said that the US decision can have humanitarian consequences.The H-1B visas allow companies to sponsor workers from abroad with specialised skills, including scientists, engineers, and computer programmers, to work in the United States. The visa permits workers to be in the US for three years initially, although it can be extended to six. About 85,000 individuals are awarded H-1B visas every year based on a lottery system, with Indians accounting for about three-quarters of the recipients.Although the administration clarified that the reform in the system will only impact new visa applicants, the fee hike has caused fear among Indians in the US and disheartened the American dream for many.&nbsp;

The meeting between the leaders marked the first in-person interaction after Trump announced 50 per cent tariffs on Indian goods.

India’s External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on the sidelines of the 80th UN General Assembly (UNGA) session on Monday (Sep 22). Their meeting comes at a key moment amid the trade tensions between the two countries and the US H-1B visa fee hike. Last week, US President Donald Trump announced a significant increase of $100,000 in the annual fee for new visas, which is popular among Indian tech workers in the US.

The meeting between the leaders marked the first in-person interaction after Trump announced 50 per cent tariffs on Indian goods.

Jaishankar meets Rubio at UNGA session amid India-US tariff tensions, H-1B visa fee hike

A day after the trade talks between Indian and US officials in New Delhi, Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal on Wednesday (Sep 17) said that relations between the two nations are positive, adding that leaders of both countries are friends. He stressed that every situation will be dealt “satisfactorily”. Speaking of the Tuesday discussions, Goyal said that talks are ongoing.“We have been holding discussions for the last few months. Yesterday, a US representative was here. Talks are going on. President Donald Trump also wished Modi on his birthday. India and the US are friendly countries; our leaders are friends. Every situation will be addressed satisfactorily,” Goyal said during a press conference on Wednesday.Goyal also greeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his birthday and drew parallels between the initiatives launched by PM Modi and Mahatma Gandhi, citing several welfare schemes introduced by the Centre.“People had forgotten Mahatma Gandhi’s appeal for cleanliness, but PM Modi rejuvenated it. Similarly, Gandhiji gave a call for ‘swadeshi’ and Modi connected it with the people,” Goyal said.<h2>India-US trade talks</h2>On Tuesday (Sep 17), representatives from the US and India held talks to discuss a Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA) between the two countries. The talks, which were led by Assistant US Trade Representative for South and Central Asia Brendan Lynch and Special Secretary in the Department of Commerce Rajesh Agrawal, marked the first discussions held after US President Donald Trump announced 50 per cent tariffs on Indian goods.The relations between India and the US came under strain after the US president announced earlier this year that impose additional trade duties on India, citing Russian oil purchase and “unfair” trade policies of New Delhi. However, India has maintained that it would take decisions in the interest of the nation.Trump administration officials have also criticised India for not buying American corn and putting “tariffs on everything”, warning that New Delhi should reduce trade duties or have a “tough time doing business” with the US.

On Tuesday (Sep 17), representatives from the US and India held talks to discuss a Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA) between the two countries. 

A day after the trade talks between Indian and US officials in New Delhi, Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal on Wednesday (Sep 17) said that relations between the two nations are positive, adding that leaders of both countries are friends. He stressed that every situation will be dealt “satisfactorily”. Speaking of the Tuesday discussions, Goyal said that talks are ongoing. “We have been holding discussions for the last few months. Yesterday, a US representative was here. Talks are going on. President Donald Trump also wished Modi on his birthday. India and the US are friendly countries; our leaders are friends. Every situation will be addressed satisfactorily,” Goyal said during a press conference on Wednesday. Goyal also greeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his birthday and drew parallels between the initiatives launched by PM Modi and Mahatma Gandhi, citing several welfare schemes introduced by the Centre. “People had forgotten Mahatma Gandhi’s appeal for cleanliness, but PM Modi rejuvenated it. Similarly, Gandhiji gave a call for ‘swadeshi’ and Modi connected it with the people,” Goyal said. India-US trade talks On Tuesday (Sep 17), representatives from the US and India held talks to discuss a Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA) between the two countries. The talks, which were led by Assistant US Trade Representative for South and Central Asia Brendan Lynch and Special Secretary in the Department of Commerce Rajesh Agrawal, marked the first discussions held after US President Donald Trump announced 50 per cent tariffs on Indian goods. The relations between India and the US came under strain after the US president announced earlier this year that impose additional trade duties on India, citing Russian oil purchase and “unfair” trade policies of New Delhi. However, India has maintained that it would take decisions in the interest of the nation. Trump administration officials have also criticised India for not buying American corn and putting “tariffs on everything”, warning that New Delhi should reduce trade duties or have a “tough time doing business” with the US.

On Tuesday (Sep 17), representatives from the US and India held talks to discuss a Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA) between the two countries.&nbsp;

‘Our leaders are friends...’: Indian minister hails bond between Trump and PM Modi amid India-US trade tensions

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‘Not at expense of relationship with India’: Rubio on warming ties between US and Pakistan

Jaishankar meets Rubio at UNGA session amid India-US tariff, H-1B visa tensions

Indian minister hails bond between Trump and Modi amid India-US trade tensions