US-India Trade Deal ‘Very Close’, Rubio Says

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Monday that Washington was “very close” to concluding a trade agreement with India, according to India Global Review. Speaking to reporters in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, he linked the negotiations to presidential consideration of national security waivers, including tariff relief related to purchases of Russian oil.

Rubio described progress on the trade talks as one factor in those decisions; his remarks did not announce a completed agreement or set out its terms.

He is also scheduled to visit India and meet External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar in Mumbai. Their discussions are expected to cover energy, trade, defence, critical and emerging technologies, and other areas of bilateral cooperation.