Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrived in Mumbai on Tuesday for talks with India’s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, with a proposed trade agreement, energy cooperation, investment, defense and critical technologies on the agenda. The visit is Rubio’s second to India this year and is centered on Mumbai and Jamnagar rather than New Delhi.
Rubio said the trade negotiations were nearly complete, with only a small number of issues left to resolve. The talks have faced months of friction over U.S. Tariffs on Indian goods and India’s continued purchases of Russian crude.
Washington imposed tariffs of as much as 50% on most Indian goods in August 2025 after negotiations broke down. A framework agreed in February 2026 reduced the rate to 18%, but the broader agreement remained unfinished. India is seeking tariff terms comparable to those offered to competing manufacturing countries, including Vietnam.
The Russian-oil dispute remains closely linked to the negotiations. Legislation signed in September authorized possible tariffs of up to 100% on major buyers of Russian oil, including India, but President Donald Trump later waived the substantive provisions. Rubio said the effort to complete the trade agreement was among the factors considered in that decision and described India’s shift away from Russian supplies as difficult to achieve immediately.
India imports more than 85% of its crude oil needs. New Delhi has said it will expand energy imports from the United States while diversifying suppliers, a position that places energy security and trade terms at the center of the visit.
Rubio is scheduled to meet business leaders in Mumbai and travel to Jamnagar on Wednesday to visit Reliance Industries’ refining complex, described as the world’s largest. He is also due to attend a reception marking the 250th anniversary of U.S.
The discussions come as the two countries continue expanding defense and technology cooperation despite disputes over tariffs, immigration policy and Russian oil. Rubio last visited India in May, when he met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Jaishankar and attended a Quad foreign ministers’ meeting.