‘India is a relationship of critical importance to US’: Rubio after meeting Jaishankar amid upheaval over Trump’s H-1B visa fee, tariff woes

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Monday amid continued strain in the bilateral relationship. Efforts to secure an India-US trade deal have also run into fresh hurdles this week as President Donald Trump announced a $100,000 fee on new H-1B visa applications. The meeting came on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly session — their first face-to-face interaction since President Donald Trump imposed a 50% tariff against most imports from India over continued purchase of Russian oil. The top officials discussed a range of bilateral and international issues of “current concern” during their meeting.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stressed on the importance of the partnership between Washington and New Delhi during the meeting. He said the two countries would “continue working together to promote a free and open Indo-Pacific region, including through the Quad.”

Rubio reiterates importance of India-US ties

The statement read, “Secretary Rubio, reiterating that India is a relationship of critical importance to the United States, expressed his appreciation for the Indian government’s continued engagement on a number of issues including trade, defense, energy, pharmaceuticals, critical minerals, and other items related to the bilateral relationship.”

Rubio later wrote on X, “We discussed key areas of our bilateral relationship, including trade, energy, pharmaceuticals, and critical minerals and more to generate prosperity for India and the United States.”

What Jaishankar said

“Good to meet Secretary Rubio this morning in New York. Our conversation covered a range of bilateral and international issues of current concern. Agreed on the importance of sustained engagement to progress on priority areas. We will remain in touch,” Jaishankar wrote on X.

“Met with Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar at UNGA. We discussed key areas of our bilateral relationship, including trade, energy, pharmaceuticals, and critical minerals and more to generate prosperity for India and the United States,” Rubio added.

The interaction came even as fellow Union Minister Piyush Goyal reached the United States with an Indian delegation for ongoing trade discussions. Efforts to secure a bilateral trade agreement had stalled last month after the POTUS imposed a 50% tariff against most imports from India and announced several policy changes. President Trump heralded a thaw earlier this month — referring to Modi as a close friend and extending birthday greetings. Talks eventually resumed last week as US Chief Negotiator Brendan Lynch visited New Delhi.

Trump signed a proclamation raising the fee visa fees to $1,00,000 on Friday — sending shockwaves through the world. Indians are likely to bear the brunt of the abrupt decision — having accounted for 71% of people who secured the coveted work visa in 2024. The White House appeared to backtrack on Saturday and clarified that the change would only apply to new applicants.

Ties between the two countries have frayed rapidly over the past few months as the POTUS imposed a 25% reciprocal tariff against New Delhi in early August. This was followed by an additional 25% tariff for continued purchase of Russian oil amid the Ukraine war — the only country to face such sanctions. Top aides have also held India responsible for ongoing ‘bloodshed’ in Ukraine — repeatedly accusing New Delhi of indirectly financing the Russian war and being a “laundromat for the Kremlin”.