New York/Washington: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Tuesday welcomed the trade agreement reached between President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while holding wide-ranging discussions on strengthening cooperation in areas including energy, nuclear power, defence and critical minerals.

Rubio and Jaishankar met at the State Department ahead of the inaugural Critical Minerals Ministerial meeting being hosted by the United States on Wednesday.

“Delighted to meet US @SecRubio this afternoon. A wide ranging conversation that covered our bilateral cooperation agenda, regional and global issues,” Jaishankar said in a post on X after the talks.
 

“Facets of India-US Strategic Partnership discussed included trade, energy, nuclear, defence, critical minerals and technology. Agreed on the early meetings of various mechanisms to advance our shared interests,” he added.

According to a readout issued by State Department Principal Deputy Spokesperson Tommy Pigott, Rubio and Jaishankar “welcomed the trade deal reached between President Trump and Prime Minister Modi.” The two leaders also underscored “the importance of our democracies working together to unlock new economic opportunities and advance our shared energy security goals.”

The readout noted that the two sides “discussed formalising bilateral cooperation on critical minerals exploration, mining and processing.”

Rubio and Jaishankar “concluded their meeting by expressing their commitment to expanding bilateral and multilateral cooperation through the Quad,” Pigott said, adding that they reaffirmed that “a prosperous Indo-Pacific region remains vital to advancing our shared interests.” The Quad comprises India, the United States, Japan and Australia.

In a separate post on X, Rubio said he met Jaishankar to “discuss our bilateral cooperation on critical minerals exploration and work together to unlock new economic opportunities between our two countries. We also commended the trade deal between the United States and India.”
 

Jaishankar is on an official visit to the United States from February 2 to 4 and is scheduled to participate in the Critical Minerals Ministerial convened by Rubio. He is also expected to hold meetings with senior members of the US administration, the Ministry of External Affairs said earlier.

The talks came a day after Trump announced on Truth Social that India and the United States had agreed to a trade deal under which Washington would reduce reciprocal tariffs on New Delhi from 25 per cent to 18 per cent.

At the inaugural Critical Minerals Ministerial, the US will host international delegations to advance joint efforts to strengthen and diversify global critical minerals supply chains.

“This historic gathering will create momentum for collaboration to secure these critical components vital to technological innovation, economic strength, and national security,” the State Department said.

US Vice President J D Vance, Rubio, Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Global Supply Chains David Copley, and Under Secretary of State for Economic Affairs Jacob Helberg are expected to deliver the opening remarks at the ministerial.

PTI