Marco Rubio lands in Mumbai as New Delhi, Washington push to close trade deal

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Reuters

This is Rubio's second visit to India in 2026 and comes on the heels of strained relationship between the two countries due to tariff issues, measures on immigration and disagreements over how last year's India-Pakistan military clashes were handled. Despite these, both sides have hinted at good progress in talks on a proposed bilateral trade deal.

Rubio, who is carrying with him a large business delegation, is seen to focus on making strong economic engagement. He is scheduled to meet External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar as the leaders are expected to discuss how to make the India-US Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership stronger.

"Welcome to Mumbai, Secretary Rubio," the US embassy in India posted after he arrived at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport in the country's financial capital.

Rubio also visited the Taj memorial, paying tribute to the victims of 2008 terror attacks in the city. The attacks had killed over 160 people, including six US citizens. Rubio is also scheduled to attend a reception marking the 250th anniversary of US independence.

"Discussions are expected to cover key areas of bilateral cooperation, including energy, trade and investment, defence, critical and emerging technologies, and other areas of mutual interest," Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said earlier.

"The visit will provide an opportunity to sustain the high-level engagement between the two countries and advance our shared priorities," Jaiswal had said.

Trade deal in focus

The top American diplomat, ahead of his India visit, said in Uzbekistan that the United States was close to finalising a trade deal with India. He also signalled that progress on the agreement was among the things that President Donald Trump considered when he decided national security waivers. These also included those related to India's Russian oil purchases.

"We're trying to finalise the trade deal with India right now. We're very close to doing that. So that's one of the things we take into consideration when the President makes a decision about national security waivers and things of that nature," Rubio said.

Earlier this month, the US President suspended certain sanctions against Russia and five of the biggest buyers of Russian oil, including India.

Delhi and Washington have been discussing the proposed trade agreement since early 2025. The talks aim to mention issues pertaining to Trump's tariffs and also improve access to markets between the countries. India is looking for more favourable terms for its exports to the United States compared to those given to competing countries.

Jaishankar has said negotiations were nearing a "landing point", indicating that both the two sides have been making progress towards a pact.

Bilateral ties face multiple challenges

Relations between the two countries soured after US announced punitive tariffs on Indian goods last year. Trump has also, repeatedly, claimed that he played a major role in de-escalating India-Pakistan military clashes after the Pahalgam terror attack in 2025. This had drawn a sharp response from top Indian officials.

Washington has also made changes to its immigration policy and decided to increase fees for H1-B visas. This has added to the strain between the two countries. Recently, the US decided to put a halt on a key green-card processing programme for global IT companies, including India's TCS and Wipro.

Therefore, this visit offers both Washington and New Delhi a chance to make high-level engagement, progress talks on trade and areas of cooperation.