External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Monday and discussed a range of bilateral and international issues of "current concern". The two leaders met at Lotte New York Palace on the sidelines of the 80th session of the UN General Assembly ( UNGA ). This was also first face-to-face interaction between them following President Donald Trump's imposition of an additional 25 per cent tariff on India for Delhi's purchases of Russian oil, taking the total levies imposed on India to 50 per cent. Secretary Rubio, reiterating that India is a relationship of critical importance to the United States, expressed his appreciation for the Indian government’s continued engagement on a number of issues including trade, defense, energy, pharmaceuticals, critical

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