Rubio urges India to expand US energy and defence purchases

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio urged India to increase purchases of American energy, technologies and defence systems during talks with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar in Mumbai on October 20, The Economic Times reported. The discussions sought to advance cooperation despite strains over US tariffs and immigration restrictions.

Rubio, on his second India visit in less than five months, also said negotiations on a bilateral trade agreement were close to completion. His remarks expressed optimism rather than confirmation of a deal: he said a few issues remained unresolved and suggested the leaders could sign an agreement after those were settled.

Jaishankar said the talks covered trade, energy, technology, defence and people-to-people relations. The US State Department said the ministers also discussed regional and international developments, including West Asia.

Energy diversification and a planned Jamnagar visit

Energy security was central to Rubio’s pitch. The State Department said greater energy trade with the US could help India diversify its sources of supply while serving its large domestic market. Rubio also advocated processing more Venezuelan crude in India and praised the capabilities of Indian refining companies.

Asked about Washington’s position on India’s Russian oil purchases, Rubio emphasised diversification rather than an immediate shift away from a single supplier. He said changes to India’s energy mix could not happen overnight and described its progress towards diversification as substantial. That assessment was Rubio’s; he did not give purchase volumes or a quantified measure of the change.

Rubio said some Indian companies already held oil concessions in Venezuela. He acknowledged that Venezuelan supplies alone could not immediately make up for disruptions elsewhere, while arguing that they could contribute in the near term and play a larger role over time.

He was scheduled to visit Reliance Industries’ Jamnagar refinery on October 21. Explaining the planned visit, Rubio linked reliable energy supplies to national security and pointed to the company’s extensive refining capacity. No new crude-supply contract or Indian purchasing commitment was reported.

Defence cooperation advances, but trade pact remains unfinished

The State Department said Rubio welcomed recent progress in defence and civil nuclear cooperation and encouraged India to buy more US technologies and systems. Its account did not identify a new defence contract, equipment package or purchase value.

US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor, who attended the meeting, described the discussions as covering defence, energy, emerging technologies and trade. Jaishankar’s public account likewise presented the meeting as an effort to develop cooperation across several areas.

On the trade negotiations, Rubio said only a limited number of matters remained to be resolved and that he hoped for an announcement soon. He did not identify the outstanding issues or provide a firm signing date.

Supply disruptions form the backdrop

Rubio attributed pressure on energy supplies to geopolitical developments, including the situation in the Strait of Hormuz and Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabian energy pipelines. He said several countries were facing diesel shortages.

The newspaper also reported that, in the preceding week, US President Donald Trump had suspended certain sanctions affecting Russia and five major buyers of Russian oil, including India. It said Trump had announced an arrangement with Russian President Vladimir Putin to put hundreds of thousands of tonnes of Russian diesel onto the world market. Those reported measures were part of the wider supply backdrop, not an outcome of the Mumbai talks.

26/11 tribute amid continuing bilateral strains

Rubio and Jaishankar paid tribute at the 26/11 memorial at Mumbai’s Taj Mahal Palace Hotel. Their public statements honoured those killed in the November 2008 terrorist attacks, including six American citizens, and reaffirmed cooperation against terrorism.

The diplomatic outreach came after a deterioration in relations linked to Washington’s punitive tariffs on India and Trump’s claims about his role in de-escalating the May 2025 India-Pakistan military clashes, which drew sharp objections from Indian officials.

Higher H-1B visa fees and tighter US immigration policies added to the friction. More recently, restrictions on a green-card processing programme affecting major global and Indian IT companies, including Tata Consultancy Services and Wipro, had created another point of tension.