US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Tuesday that India had made “substantial progress” in diversifying its energy supplies, including away from its key importer, Russia.
“What India has expressed repeatedly is their desire to diversify their energy portfolio, which is a smart thing to do,” Rubio said on a visit to India’s economic capital, Mumbai.
“Obviously, it’s not easy to do that from one day to the next, so I think they’ve made substantial progress in that regard, and we’re happy to see that.”
This is Rubio’s second official visit to the country this year, as he pursues an Asian tour blending diplomacy and trade. He has visited Uzbekistan, where he called for stronger partnerships with Central Asian countries, before landing in Mumbai for talks with Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar and meetings with business leaders.
India is a major importer of Russian oil, and US President Donald Trump’s tariff war launched in April last year has added to friction between Washington and New Delhi.
“Obviously, we think we could be a source of some of their energy inputs,” Rubio said.
The top US diplomat will visit Jamnagar, in the western state of Gujarat, a port and stronghold of billionaire Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance conglomerate and its flagship refinery, the world’s largest.
“India is a refining superpower,” said Rubio.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is not scheduled to meet Rubio this time.
Washington’s top diplomat is also due to lay a wreath in memory of the 2008 Mumbai attacks that killed 166 people.
The top US diplomat visited New Delhi and Kolkata in May this year, while also touring the Taj Mahal and meeting Modi.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Tuesday he had also spoken to Rubio and raised issues with the US military satellite system that Ukraine uses, as well as missile delays.
Zelensky, expected in Oslo for talks with US envoys, said he told Rubio that “Starlink/Starshield needs to be restored” and that ballistic missile interceptors “are needed to protect lives”.
‘Energy supplies’
Rubio’s visit comes as India and the United States struggle to finalise a trade deal, a persistent source of friction between the two countries.
“We’re very very close; I would say we’re about as close as you can be without having an executed agreement. I think there’s a small number of items left to wrap up,” Rubio said. “Hopefully have some good news to announce fairly soon, and perhaps the leaders can sign it thereafter.”
Speaking in Samarkand earlier this week, Rubio said Washington and New Delhi were “very close” to an agreement.
However, a deal during his visit appears unlikely.
Asked about temporary US sanctions waivers for Russian oil, Rubio said Washington had to juggle multiple factors “including our bilateral relationships with other countries and what they realistically are capable of being able to do in terms of their own energy supplies”.
“You also can’t unravel the economy of other countries because of one central issue,” he said.
The two countries reached an interim trade agreement in February aimed at reducing US tariffs on Indian goods.
But days later, the US Supreme Court struck down Trump’s sweeping tariffs, fuelling uncertainty over when the agreement would take effect.
The two sides have been negotiating ever since.
Indian Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said this month the talks had reached “a plateau, beyond which giving or taking might be very, very difficult”.
Jaishankar met with his United Arab Emirates counterpart in Mumbai earlier on Tuesday. The UAE is a key supplier of Indian energy, especially liquefied natural gas (LNG).
“The situation in the Gulf remains a matter of deep concern,” Jaishankar told UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, in public comments broadcast before their meeting started.
He said India continues to support “free, safe and unimpeded flow of trade, energy and fertiliser”.
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