US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Sunday said India and the United States were working through the “very final details” of a trade agreement and expressed confidence that the long-pending deal could be finalised within weeks.
Speaking during his India visit, Rubio said both countries had reasons to be optimistic as negotiations approached the final stage.
“We hope to have it even next week or the week after. But we’re down to the very final details,” Rubio said.
“I’m very confident we all have a lot of reason to be optimistic that we’re on the verge of a trade deal.”
The remarks come amid efforts by New Delhi and Washington to deepen economic cooperation while expanding their strategic partnership across sectors, including defence, technology and supply chains.
‘GOOD FOR BOTH COUNTRIES’
Rubio described the proposed agreement as beneficial for both economies, saying it would strengthen investments and create opportunities for joint cooperation.
“It’ll be a great thing because it’ll be good for both countries. It’ll increase both US investment here and Indian investment in the United States,” he said.
He also said the agreement was not only about tariffs but about creating broader economic conditions for future cooperation.
“It’s not just about tariffs, but about creating the conditions to be able to do all these other things together that we want to be able to do,” Rubio said.
Without committing to a firm deadline, he added, “I think it’s weeks, not months.”
RUBIO CALLS INDIA A KEY STRATEGIC PARTNER
During the interaction, Rubio described India as one of America’s most important strategic allies and said the relationship had grown stronger due to shared interests and global challenges.
“We have a handful of really important strategic alliances. And India is one of them,” he said.
“So many areas of overlap that we care about, that India cares about, and that we both have capabilities to contribute.”
Rubio met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar during his visit and said Washington was keen to continue building on the partnership.
MODI MAY VISIT US FOR SEPARATE BILATERAL MEETING
Rubio also revealed that the United States wanted Prime Minister Modi to visit America for a standalone bilateral engagement apart from the G20 summit scheduled later this year.
“We want it to be a separate one. We want it to have a standalone visit,” he said.
Rubio said Modi had indicated his willingness to travel to the US and both sides would work out the timing.
“As soon as he’s ready to come, we’ll accommodate it,” he said.
QUAD, SUPPLY CHAINS IN FOCUS
The US Secretary of State also spoke about strengthening the Quad grouping involving India, the US, Japan and Australia.
Rubio said maritime security and critical minerals supply chains were emerging as key areas of cooperation among the four countries.
“We don’t want to be a semi-annual meeting of like-minded countries. We want it to actually be a forum on which we can begin to partner on things,” he said.
“There’s a tremendous interest in critical minerals and supply chains.”
He added that Washington hoped Quad leaders would meet later this year with “specific deliverables” ready for announcement.
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