Rubio Leaves for India, Calls It an ‘Important Ally’ as US Pauses Russia-Linked Tariff Threat

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has left for Uzbekistan and India, and is due in India on October 20. He departed from Joint Base Andrews late on Saturday, US time, saying he was off “to continue securing the Trump Administration’s economic opportunities for our nation.”

His departure came a day after President Donald Trump waived several sanctions linked to Russian fuel sales that were due to take effect under the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act.

The law, now paused, would have imposed tariffs of up to 100 per cent on goods from the five largest importers of Russian crude oil or gas, a group that includes India and China.

Rubio said the sanctions were not aimed only at Russia, since they also carried tariffs on countries such as India. He said the President wants to use a 60-day window to assess what imposing both sanctions and tariffs would mean for the global and US economies.

He described India as an important ally and partner. “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,” he said. The US, he added, needs the time to study the issue and work out “the right combination.”

WHAT RUBIO WILL DO IN INDIA

During the visit, Rubio will meet senior government officials to strengthen the US-India strategic partnership, exchange views on regional and global developments, and discuss prospects for greater energy cooperation, according to the State Department.

He will also meet business leaders to promote commercial investment and economic cooperation. He is scheduled to visit Jamnagar, home to one of the world’s largest refineries, later this month.

Before reaching India, he will take part in the C5+1 Ministerial in Uzbekistan, where he will argue that strategic cooperation through the platform promotes a more peaceful and prosperous future for the US and the countries of Central Asia.

DELHI’S AGENDA

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said the visit would let both sides review bilateral ties and look for ways to strengthen the Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership.

An MEA spokesperson said the talks are expected to cover energy, trade, investment, defence, critical and emerging technologies and other areas of mutual interest, along with regional and global developments. The visit, he said, would sustain high-level engagement between the two countries and advance shared priorities.

With inputs from ANI