US secretary of state Rubio Rubio to hold first bilateral meeting with EAM Jaishankar | India News

NEW DELHI: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio is set to hold his first bilateral meeting with India’s external affairs minister S Jaishankar on Tuesday at the State Department in Washington.
The meeting follows the inaugural QUAD ministerial hosted by Rubio at the same venue, marking a significant start to the new administration’s foreign engagements.
“Secretary Rubio meets with Indian External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar at the Department of State,” read the advisory released by the State Department, highlighting Rubio’s schedule as the newly appointed top US diplomat.
The QUAD ministerial, bringing together the foreign ministers of the US, India, Japan, and Australia, underscores the group’s growing focus on Indo-Pacific cooperation. QUAD was initially an initiative of former President Donald Trump’s administration and was elevated to the leadership level under President Joe Biden.
Jaishankar’s visit coincides with the inauguration of Donald Trump as the 47th US president on Monday, where the Indian minister attended at the invitation of the US government.
Rubio’s choice of India for his first bilateral meeting, bypassing the usual preference for Canada, Mexico, or NATO allies, signals the importance the US places on strengthening ties with the world’s largest democracy.
Rubio, confirmed as Secretary of State by a unanimous 99-0 Senate vote, has a record of strong advocacy for India. As a senator, he introduced a bill proposing India’s treatment on par with US allies like Japan and Israel in technology transfers and defense cooperation. The legislation also sought to restrict security assistance to Pakistan if found complicit in sponsoring terrorism against India.
A staunch critic of China, Rubio has been banned twice by Beijing, most recently in 2020, due to his hawkish stance. The first-ever Latino to serve as US Secretary of State, Rubio’s leadership indicates a likely continuation of a tough US posture toward Beijing while deepening partnerships with democratic allies like India.