The relationship with India is of “ critical importance ” to the United States, said US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Monday.

The statement came after Rubio met India’s External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on the sidelines of the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

This was the first meeting between the two leaders since US President Donald Trump imposed so-called reciprocal tariffs on Indian goods and punitive levies for purchasing Russian oil amid the Ukraine war.

During the meeting, Rubio “expressed his appreciation for the Indian government’s continued engagement on a number of issues, including trade, defence, energy, pharmaceuticals, critical minerals and other items related to the bilateral relationship”, the US Department of State said in a

See Full Page