Star Metro - Rubio lands in India for 'trade diplomacy'

Rubio visited Uzbekistan, where he called for stronger partnerships with Central Asian countries, before landing in Mumbai for talks with Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar and meetings with business leaders.

He visited New Delhi and Kolkata in May, when he also toured the Taj Mahal and met Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Modi is not scheduled to meet Rubio this time.

The top US diplomat will visit Jamnagar, in the western state of Gujarat, a port and stronghold of billionaire Mukesh Ambani's Reliance conglomerate and its flagship refinery, the world's largest.

He is also due to lay a wreath in memory of the 2008 Mumbai attacks that killed 166 people.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Tuesday he had also spoken to Rubio and raised issues with the US military satellite system that Ukraine uses, as well as missile delays.

Zelensky, expected in Oslo for talks with US envoys, said he told Rubio that "Starlink/Starshield needs to be restored" and that ballistic missile interceptors "are needed to protect lives".

- 'Energy supplies' -

Rubio's visit comes as India and the United States struggle to finalise a trade deal, a persistent source of friction between the two countries.

Speaking in Samarkand, Rubio said Washington and New Delhi were "very close" to an agreement.

However, a deal during his visit appears unlikely.

US President Donald Trump's tariff war launched in April last year has added to friction over India's imports of Russian oil and warming ties between Washington and Pakistan, India's arch-rival.

Asked about temporary US sanctions waivers for Russian oil, of which India is a major importer, Rubio said Washington had to juggle multiple factors "including our bilateral relationships with other countries and what they realistically are capable of being able to do in terms of their own energy supplies".

"You also can't unravel the economy of other countries because of one central issue," he said.

The two countries reached an interim trade agreement in February aimed at reducing US tariffs on Indian goods.

But days later, the US Supreme Court struck down Trump's sweeping tariffs, fuelling uncertainty over when the agreement would take effect.

The two sides have been negotiating ever since.

Indian Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said this month the talks had reached "a plateau, beyond which giving or taking might be very, very difficult".

Jaishankar met with his United Arab Emirates counterpart in Mumbai earlier on Tuesday. The UAE is a key supplier of Indian energy, especially liquefied natural gas (LNG).

"The situation in the Gulf remains a matter of deep concern," Jaishankar told UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, in public comments broadcast before their meeting started.

He said India continues to support "free, safe and unimpeded flow of trade, energy and fertiliser".

O.Lessard--SMC