External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar held high-level meetings with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent in Washington on Wednesday, following the announcement of a landmark India-United States trade deal that aims to reduce tariffs and expand market access between the two countries.

During his discussions with Rubio, Jaishankar welcomed the recently concluded trade agreement struck by President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, which is expected to lower US tariffs on a wide range of Indian exports, providing significant relief to labour-intensive and export-orientated sectors. The two diplomats emphasised the shared goal of strengthening economic ties between the world’s two largest democracies and unlocking new opportunities for businesses on both sides.

A central focus of the talks was formalising cooperation on critical minerals—essential materials for technologies ranging from clean energy to semiconductors—including exploration, mining, and processing. Rubio and Jaishankar reaffirmed their commitment to enhancing bilateral collaboration in this strategic sector, citing its importance for both nations’ economic and national security interests.

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In his meeting with Bessent, Jaishankar discussed the advancement of the broader India-US economic partnership and strategic cooperation, particularly in areas such as supply chain security and shared economic goals. In a post on social media platform X, Jaishankar described the conversation as “useful” and aimed at progressing mutual interests.

Both leaders also explored expanding cooperation through the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad), signalling a shared interest in strengthening multilateral ties in the Indo-Pacific region. The Quad—which includes Australia, India, Japan, and the United States—has increasingly become a platform for collaborative engagement on strategic issues, including trade, technology, and regional security.

Jaishankar’s meetings took place on the margins of his official visit to the United States, which also includes participation in the inaugural Critical Minerals Ministerial. The ongoing engagement underscores renewed momentum in India-US relations, as both nations seek to deepen cooperation across economic, diplomatic, and security domains following months of negotiations and geopolitical shifts.

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