U.S. and Indian diplomats meet ahead of critical minerals summit

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar on Tuesday (February 3) one day after the U.S. and India signed a trade deal.

The meeting followed an announcement by U.S. President Donald Trump that the agreement would reduce tariffs to 18% from 50% in exchange for India halting Russian oil purchases and easing trade barriers.

Trump said the deal also increased Indian imports of U.S. energy, coal, technology and agricultural products, describing it as the first stage of a broader agreement to be negotiated later.

According to the U.S. State Department, Rubio and Jaishankar discussed formalising cooperation on the exploration, mining and processing of critical minerals.

The talks were held ahead of the inaugural Critical Minerals Ministerial, which Rubio is set to host at the State Department on Wednesday (4 February).

Delegations from more than 50 countries are expected to attend, with the aim of strengthening and diversifying global critical minerals supply chains.

During the meeting, both officials welcomed the trade agreement reached between Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

They underscored the importance of working together to unlock new economic opportunities and advance shared energy security goals, according to the State Department.

• U.S. to cut India tariffs to 18% as New Delhi stops buying Russian oil
• Kremlin says no confirmation from India on stopping Russian oil imports

Rubio and Jaishankar also reaffirmed their commitment to expanding cooperation through the Quad grouping - comprising of the United States, Japan, Australia and India, and noted that a stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific region remains central to their shared interests.

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