Department of State announced on Wednesday (October 14, 2026). U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio will travel to India for his second visit in six months , with energy and trade relations at the top of the agenda as he visits Mumbai and Jamnagar, the U.S.
Trump announced that Reliance Industries would invest in a refinery in Brownsville, Texas , although details of the exact collaboration have still not been released. In March 2026, Mr.
“[Mr. The visit by Mr. Rubio comes at a time of tensions in the India-U.S. economic relationship for a number of other reasons as well. The U.S.-India ties were dealt another blow last week as the Trump administration suspended permission for five Indian tech outsourcing companies to certify Indian professionals as eligible for green cards or permanent residency. The visit would also come just ahead of the key mid-term elections in the U.S., where Mr. Trump’s Republican Party is expected to face losses.
Earlier reporting noted: Rubio will visit India and Uzbekistan from October 17 to 22.
Rubio] will meet with senior government officials to strengthen the U.S.-India strategic partnership, exchange views on regional and global dynamics, and discuss prospects for enhanced energy cooperation,” the State department said in the statement, adding that Mr. Rubio will also meet business leaders to “promote investment opportunities”. Asked about the U.S. statement on the trip, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said that the government would make the announcement “at the appropriate time as to what will be the issues to be taken up”. He also said that the government would disclose details of the visit “as and when they happen”. To another question, he said that India had already conveyed its concerns over the SRIA to the U.S. government. Senior officials and Ministers on both sides have acknowledged there is trouble in the Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA), with Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman saying that the talks last week had “plateaued”. Earlier reporting noted: During his visit to India, Rubio will hold discussions with senior government officials to strengthen the US-India strategic partnership, exchange perspectives on regional and global developments, and explore avenues for expanding energy cooperation, according to the press note.
Earlier reporting noted: US secretary of state Rubio to visit India for energy talks, strengthening India-US ties next week US Secretary of State Marco Rubio is scheduled to visit Mumbai and Jamnagar during his India tour in October, where he will meet senior Indian government officials to strengthen the bilateral strategic partnership and explore opportunities to expand energy cooperation. His itinerary includes Samarkand in Uzbekistan, followed by Mumbai and Jamnagar in India, according to a media note issued by the US Department of State on Tuesday (local time).
Mr. Rubio’s scheduled visit to Jamnagar is important as it hosts the world’s largest single-site refinery, operated by Reliance industries, and is expected to include a major reception hosted by the Ambani family. The Jamnagar refinery is one of the top three companies refining Russian Ural crude oil, although it has reduced its share of the imports. The visit would follow just a day after U.S. President Donald Trump is mandated by the U.S. Congress to propose extra tariffs as sanctions on India and other countries buying Russian oil, under the Sanctions Against Russian and Iran Act (SRIA) passed into law last month. The U.S. Secretary of State is expected to meet External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar during the visit, but the Ministry of External Affairs didn’t confirm the visit or answer questions on why Mr. Rubio is skipping Delhi on this visit.
