US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will visit India in May, US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor said. This comes amid New Delhi and Washington resetting ties strained by US tariff measures.
The announcement did not include specific dates for the visit, which will be Rubio’s first trip to India since taking office.
Gor took to X and said, “Secretary Rubio looks forward to visiting India next month."
The development follows Rubio’s meeting in Washington with India’s Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, during which they reviewed bilateral ties, with a focus on trade, critical minerals, defence cooperation, and the Quad.
"Welcome to the White House, @VikramMisri! Productive meeting with @SecRubio that focused on our bilateral relationship, especially trade, critical minerals, defence and the Quad," US Ambassador to India, Sergio Gor, who was also present at the meeting, wrote on X.
In a post on X, the Indian Embassy said both sides expressed their intent to deepen engagement across these sectors to further strengthen the India–US Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership.
Misri also held separate discussions with US Deputy Secretary Christopher Landau and Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Allison Hooker. Hooker said that she and Vikram Misri discussed ways for India and the United States to strengthen cooperation in areas such as security, defence, and economic engagement.
"We are finding practical ways to make both Americans and Indians safer and more prosperous, including through the Quad," she stated.
According to a statement by State Department Principal Deputy Spokesman Tommy Pigott, Landau and Misri reaffirmed the strong partnership between the two countries and exchanged views on developments in the Persian Gulf and other regional and global priorities.
In the past year, other senior US officials, including Vice President JD Vance, have also visited the country. The planned trip comes amid renewed momentum in US-India relations over the past few months.
India-US ties
In February, India and the United States reached a trade agreement that eliminated steep US tariffs on Indian goods and outlined a framework to boost bilateral trade, although details of the deal are still being finalised.
President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi described the pact as “historic". A key feature of the deal was a reduction in tariffs on Indian goods, from 50% to 18%.
However, the US Supreme Court on 20 February struck down tariffs imposed by Trump under a law intended for national emergencies. On the same day, Trump announced a new blanket tariff of 10%, which he increased to 15% the next day, the highest rate permitted under a different, largely untested legal provision on which the new duties are based.
