External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington, DC, on Tuesday, where the two leaders welcomed the India–US trade deal announced earlier this week and discussed steps to formalise cooperation in the exploration, mining and processing of critical minerals.
Rubio held one-on-one talks with Jaishankar at the State Department ahead of the first Critical Minerals Ministerial meeting being hosted by the United States on Wednesday.
Describing the meeting, Jaishankar said the discussions covered the broader bilateral cooperation agenda as well as regional and global issues. In a post on X, the external affairs minister said, “A wide-ranging conversation that covered our bilateral cooperation agenda, regional and global issues. Facets of the India–US Strategic Partnership discussed included trade, energy, nuclear, defence, critical minerals and technology. We agreed on early meetings of various mechanisms to advance our shared interests.”
A summary of the meeting shared by State Department Principal Deputy Spokesperson Tommy Pigott said Rubio and Jaishankar “welcomed the trade deal reached between President Trump and Prime Minister Modi.”
According to the readout, the two leaders also discussed the importance of the world’s two largest democracies working together to unlock new economic opportunities and advance shared energy security goals. They further expressed their commitment to expanding bilateral and multilateral cooperation through the Quad and acknowledged that a prosperous Indo-Pacific region remains central to advancing common interests.
The India–US trade deal was announced by President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi following a phone conversation on Monday. The agreement marks a breakthrough after nearly a year of difficult negotiations that had strained bilateral ties and left India facing some of the highest US tariffs.
Prime Minister Modi said Indian exports to the United States will now be subject to a reduced tariff of 18%, down from the earlier reciprocal rate of 25%.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump said the agreement goes beyond tariff reductions, describing it as a concluded deal under which India would cut both tariff and non-tariff barriers on US goods to zero and commit to purchasing more than $500 billion worth of American energy, technology, agricultural products, coal and other items.
The agreement, however, excludes Indian dairy and other “sensitive” agricultural products. It also provides zero-duty access for over $40 billion worth of Indian goods and reduces customs duties on labour-intensive exports—including textiles, leather goods, marine products, chemicals and select agricultural items such as processed food—to 18% from the first day, according to people familiar with the development.
