Jaishankar meets Rubio, Bessent in Washington after Trump’s 18% tariff move on India trade deal

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar kicked off a closely watched trip to Washington on Tuesday with consecutive meetings with US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, as India and the United States stepped up coordination across trade, energy, nuclear engagement, defence, critical minerals and emerging technology.

The flurry of high-level engagements comes after US President Donald Trump announced a new trade deal with India following a phone call with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, lowering reciprocal tariffs on Indian goods from 25 per cent to 18 per cent, effective immediately.

First stop: Treasury talks to lock in the economics

Jaishankar began the visit with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, with officials describing the discussion as central to putting the new economic understanding into motion.

The talks were framed as an effort to “paper” the fine print of the trade deal announced earlier, ensuring the political breakthrough is translated into workable terms.Jaishankar later posted on X that he had a “useful discussion” focused on pushing forward economic partnership and strategic cooperation between the two sides.

Rubio meeting widens focus to minerals and strategic pillars

Jaishankar then met Secretary of State Marco Rubio, where the conversations covered both the larger strategic picture and specific areas of cooperation.

In his post, Jaishankar said the two sides discussed bilateral engagement, regional and global issues, and the wider set of pillars that now define the India-US strategic partnership, spanning trade, energy, nuclear cooperation, defence, critical minerals and technology. He added that both sides agreed to convene early meetings of institutional mechanisms to accelerate shared priorities.

Rubio said in his post that their interaction centred on partnering in critical minerals exploration and opening up new economic opportunities. He also welcomed the trade agreement between the two countries, calling it an important step forward in India-US relations.

The State Department has previously said Rubio plans to rally international partners to reinforce critical mineral supply chains, a priority increasingly tied to defence needs, advanced manufacturing and clean energy ambitions.

Washington is also set to host its first Critical Minerals Ministerial on Wednesday. The State Department said the event will bring together officials from more than 50 countries to strengthen cooperation on securing and diversifying global supply chains for key minerals.

Tariff cut expected to lift exporters, minerals emerge as core theme

The reduced tariff rate is expected to strengthen India’s export position in the US, particularly for sectors such as manufacturing, pharmaceuticals and renewable energy.

Critical minerals have featured prominently across Jaishankar’s Washington engagements, underlining the growing strategic push to de-risk supply chains.