Amidst ongoing trade tensions and disputes over H-1B visas, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with India's External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar in New York on Monday, September 22, 2025, on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly. Following the meeting, Rubio affirmed the critical importance of the U.S.-India relationship.
According to the U.S. State Department, discussions centered on various facets of the India-U.S. bilateral relationship, including trade, defense, energy, pharmaceuticals, and critical minerals. Jaishankar described the meeting as covering a range of bilateral and international issues. Both leaders emphasized the need for sustained engagement to achieve progress in priority areas. They also committed to continue working together to promote a free and open Indo-Pacific region, including through the Quad.
This was the first face-to-face meeting between Jaishankar and Rubio since July, when they convened in Washington D.C. for the Quad Foreign Ministers' Meeting. The meeting occurred in the context of recent trade friction, including the U.S. increasing tariffs on India to 50% as a penalty for New Delhi's purchase of Russian oil. Additionally, the U.S. recently increased H-1B visa fees.
Despite these challenges, both sides expressed a commitment to strengthening the relationship. Rubio stated he and Jaishankar discussed key areas of the bilateral relationship to generate prosperity for both countries. The U.S. State Department reiterated India's "critical importance" to the U.S., emphasizing the value of continued engagement across sectors of mutual interest.
Jaishankar and Rubio's meeting is viewed as a renewed effort to stabilize and advance India-U.S. relations. It provided a political understanding and impetus for trade negotiations. Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal is also in the U.S. this week to carry forward technical-level negotiations with U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer.
India and the U.S. have been working to deepen cooperation across various sectors. In February 2025, the two countries announced an expanded partnership in space innovation, focusing on joint research, commercial collaboration, and startup engagement. They are also set to sign a new 10-year defense framework in 2025 to enhance strategic cooperation, defense industrial collaboration, and regional security in the Indo-Pacific. The U.S. and India have set a goal to increase bilateral trade to $500 billion by 2030 and are negotiating a mutually beneficial Bilateral Trade Agreement. In FY25, bilateral trade between India and the U.S. reached a record US$ 132.2 billion.
