External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Tuesday welcomed the trade agreement reached under the leadership of US President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. They also discussed formally shaping bilateral cooperation in the exploration and mining of critical minerals.
Ahead of the first Critical Minerals Ministerial Meeting being hosted by the United States on Wednesday, Rubio met Jaishankar for bilateral talks at the State Department in Washington DC on Tuesday.
After the meeting, Jaishankar posted on X that he was pleased to meet Secretary Rubio and held wide-ranging discussions on bilateral cooperation as well as regional and global issues.
He said the talks on the India–US strategic partnership covered areas such as trade, energy, nuclear cooperation, defence, critical minerals and technology. Both sides agreed to hold meetings of different mechanisms soon to advance shared interests.
According to details released by US State Department Principal Deputy Spokesperson Tommy Pigott, Rubio and Jaishankar welcomed the trade agreement approved by President Trump and Prime Minister Modi. They stressed the importance of democracies working together to unlock new economic opportunities and strengthen shared energy security goals.
Pigott said the two leaders discussed formalising cooperation in the exploration, mining and processing of critical minerals. The statement added that both expressed commitment to expanding bilateral and multilateral cooperation through the Quad and recognised that a prosperous Indo-Pacific region remains vital for shared interests.
Rubio also wrote on X that he discussed cooperation on critical minerals and ways to open new economic opportunities between the two countries, while praising the India–US trade agreement.
Jaishankar is on a US visit from February 2 to 4 and will attend the Critical Minerals Ministerial Meeting called by Rubio on Wednesday.
The meeting came a day after Trump announced on Truth Social that the India–US trade deal would reduce US reciprocal tariffs on Indian goods from 25 percent to 18 percent.