Rubio kicks off India visit with trade deal in sight
Photo: REUTERS
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will travel to India on Tuesday, arriving just days after President Donald Trump delayed tariffs on US imports from India while both nations work to conclude a trade deal.
During his two-day itinerary in Mumbai and Jamnagar in India, Rubio will hold meetings with government and business leaders, including Foreign Minister S Jaishankar and billionaire Mukesh Ambani, who serves as chairman of Reliance Industries, the operator of the world’s largest refining complex located at Jamnagar.
Rubio and other officials said both countries have nearly finalized a comprehensive trade deal, creating the possibility that the two sides might sign the agreement during the secretary’s visit.
Trump eliminated a potential obstacle on Friday by waiving prospective tariffs designed to penalize New Delhi over the country’s extensive Russian crude oil purchases.
Under legislation that Trump signed in September, the administration holds the authority to levy tariffs of up to 100 percent on the top five importers of Russian oil, a list that includes India at number two behind China.
Trump’s decision to waive all substantive provisions of that bill angered both Democrats and Republicans, who had urged him to intensify economic pressure on Moscow over its war with Ukraine.
Rubio noted in recent days that negotiators’ drive to finalize a trade deal influenced the decision to waive those tariffs. He added that India has actively diversified its energy imports away from Russian crude, even though New Delhi continues buying millions of barrels of Russian oil daily.
He announced that the administration is launching a 60-day review period to evaluate which new tariffs, if any, officials should enforce.
Rubio said on Sunday, “You’ve got countries like India, for example, that have voluntarily diversified their energy portfolio, but are still getting a substantial amount of energy from Russia because it’s hard to pivot from one day to the next. But they’re also an important ally and partner of the United States.”
Although the Trump administration previously pressured India to reduce Russian oil purchases, the United States signed an agreement with Russia last week to import diesel to lower domestic fuel prices ahead of the midterm elections, casting doubt on the extent to which curbing Indian oil imports remains a foreign policy priority.
When reporters asked him on Monday about India’s Russian oil purchases, Rubio told reporters, “Every country has a complex set of factors that they have to take into account. Geography is real. For some countries, it’s very difficult to acquire energy from alternative sources.”
India imports over 85 percent of its crude oil requirements to fuel its fast-growing economy.
Rubio will fly into Mumbai from Samarkand, Uzbekistan, where he conducted meetings with Central Asian political and business leaders.
Source: Reuters (adapted)
