US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will visit India from May 23 to 26 on his first official trip, covering Kolkata, Agra, Jaipur, and New Delhi. He will hold talks with senior Indian officials on trade, defence, energy, and security cooperation
| Photo Credit:
Stefano Rellandini
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will be on a four-day visit to India, from May 23-26, to discuss stronger bilateral cooperation in trade, defence and energy security, as the West Asia crisis rages on. This will be Rubio’s first visit to India since assuming office.
The Secretary of State will travel to Kolkata, Agra, Jaipur and New Delhi during his visit, US State Department Spokesperson Thomas Pigott noted in a statement issued on Tuesday.
“The Secretary will discuss energy security, trade, and defense cooperation during meetings with senior Indian officials,” the statement underlined.
The West Asia situation, affecting global energy and other essential supplies, and Indo-Pacific security would also come up for discussion, sources said.
Trade agreement, tariffs likely to figure in discussions
There was no confirmation on whether Rubio would attend a Quad Foreign Ministers meeting that India reportedly plans to host on May 26. US officials said additional details of the India visit would be announced later.
The proposed India-US bilateral trade agreement (BTA) is also likely to be on the Secretary of State’s agenda as Washington is keen to gain greater market access in the Indian market for its exporters of both industrial and agricultural goods, industry sources said.
New Delhi is watching the tariff situation in the US at the moment as it is still evolving following the US courts striking down certain additional tariffs, including reciprocal tariffs, imposed by the Trump regime on imports.
Rubio to travel from Sweden after NATO meeting
Rubio will travel from Sweden to India, where he is scheduled to attend the NATO Foreign Ministers Meeting, the statement shared. He will discuss the need for increased defence investment and greater burden-sharing in the alliance, it said. He will also have bilateral meetings with Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.
Published on May 20, 2026
