Marco Rubio to skip Delhi, visit Mumbai and Jamnagar next week
His Jamnagar Reliance refinery visit will come a day after U.S. President is expected to take a decision on sanctions on Russian oil imports
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio will journey to India for his second visit in six months, with a focus on energy and trade relations, according to the U.S. Department of State. The meeting is scheduled to take place from October 19 to 22 after earlier travel to Samarkand in Uzbekistan for a regional conference. However, Marco Rubio will omit Delhi from his itinerary.
During his visit, Rubio plans to engage with senior government officials to reinforce the U.S.-India strategic partnership, discuss regional and global dynamics, and explore enhanced energy cooperation prospects. He will also meet business leaders to promote investment opportunities. Notably, Rubio's trip to Jamnagar, which hosts the world's largest single-site refinery operated by Reliance Industries, is significant.
The refinery is among the top three firms refining Russian Ural crude oil, though its share has dwindled. This visit follows a day after U.S. President Donald Trump is required by the U.S. Congress to propose additional tariffs as sanctions on India and other nations purchasing Russian oil, as per the Sanctions Against Russian and Iran Act (SRIA) enacted last month.
Rubio is expected to meet External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar during the visit, but the Ministry of External Affairs has not confirmed this or addressed why Rubio is not visiting Delhi. The MEA spokesperson, Randhir Jaiswal, mentioned that the government will disclose the agenda and details of the visit as they become available.
The U.S. Secretary of State's visit coincides with tensions in the India-U.S. economic relationship due to various factors, including difficulties in the Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA) and the suspension of permission for five Indian tech outsourcing companies to certify professionals for green cards or permanent residency. Additionally, the trip precedes the critical mid-term elections in the U.S. and the anticipated meeting between Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on December 13, either during the G20 summit in Florida or the ASEAN-linked summits in Manila.
Written by urgent.news from The Hindu's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
