Jaishankar meets top Trump aides; discuss nuclear, defense, critical minerals
What's the story
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar is in the United States from February 2 to 4 to further strengthen economic and strategic ties between India and the US. His visit coincides with a major trade deal announcement by President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The agreement reduces reciprocal tariffs on Indian goods from 25% to 18% with immediate effect.
Diplomatic discussions
Jaishankar's meeting with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent
Jaishankar has already held meetings with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. The talks with Bessent were crucial to turning the political agreement into workable policy, focusing on trade facilitation and regulatory coordination. After the meeting, Jaishankar described it as a "useful discussion" on advancing economic partnership and strategic cooperation.
Mineral diplomacy
Meeting with Secretary Rubio focused on critical minerals
Jaishankar's meeting with Secretary Rubio focused on critical minerals and long-term strategic cooperation. The State Department issued a formal readout of the meeting, saying, "Secretary Marco Rubio met today with Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar. The Secretary and External Affairs Minister discussed formalizing bilateral cooperation on critical minerals exploration, mining, and processing." The statement added, "The two leaders emphasized the importance of our democracies working together to unlock new economic opportunities and advance our shared energy security goals."
Partnership expansion
Jaishankar's visit signals expanding India-US partnership
Jaishankar's visit is seen as a signal of the expanding India-US partnership beyond traditional trade and defense. He said several facets of the India-US strategic partnership were covered during the discussions, including trade, energy, nuclear, defense, critical minerals and technology. By pairing the trade deal with a focus on critical minerals, New Delhi and Washington are trying to align commercial interests with long-term strategic goals.