Trump Weighs Houthi Response as Rubio Plans India Visit for Energy Talks

US President Donald Trump has signalled that he may seek Türkiye’s involvement in responding to Yemen’s Houthi rebels, while defending a Russian diesel arrangement and insisting that Washington continues to share intelligence with Ukraine.

The remarks come as Secretary of State Marco Rubio prepares to visit India for talks that will include energy cooperation, placing fuel supplies and regional security among the administration’s immediate diplomatic priorities.

Rubio will travel to Mumbai and Jamnagar after visiting Uzbekistan during an October 17–22 tour, the US State Department announced on Tuesday. In India, he will meet senior government officials to discuss the strategic partnership, regional and global developments, and opportunities to deepen energy ties.

TRUMP WARNS HOUTHIS, FLOATS ERDOGAN’S INVOLVEMENT

Speaking to reporters before departing for a campaign visit to Alaska on Tuesday, Trump criticised the Houthis over their attacks on Saudi Arabia but declined to confirm whether he had decided on military action.

“They’re behaving very badly,” he said.

Asked about seeking Türkiye’s participation in operations concerning Yemen, Trump said he was considering approaching President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

“I might do it. He’s a great friend of mine, as you know, and I might do that. I have a lot of respect for the president of Turkey,” Trump said.

“President Erdogan, I think, would do as I ask,” he added, without specifying what role Türkiye might play.

The comments followed escalating attacks and threats against Saudi infrastructure. Saudi Civil Defence said four people were injured and 15 residential properties damaged by debris after two cruise missiles were intercepted over Riyadh, Al Jazeera reported.

Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Energy also reported a fire following an attack on a Saudi Aramco administrative building in Dhahran.

Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree declared Aramco facilities “a legitimate target”, urged employees and nearby civilians to evacuate, and threatened retaliation against Riyadh if Saudi forces attacked Sanaa.

Iran has offered to facilitate dialogue. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said on Monday that Tehran wanted the conflict resolved through diplomatic engagement.

RUBIO’S INDIA AGENDA: ENERGY, INVESTMENT AND STRATEGIC TIES

Against this backdrop, Rubio’s India visit will include discussions on “prospects for enhanced energy cooperation”, according to the State Department.

He will also meet business leaders to promote investment and economic cooperation. The trip will be his second official visit to India this year, following his May 23–26 visit.

The announcement follows US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor’s remarks in Kolkata on Monday highlighting cooperation in defence, technology and healthcare.

Gor said Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Trump had spoken the previous week.

“There is a lot happening. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Donald Trump spoke just last week, so stay tuned for what comes next,” he said.

He pointed to recent military exercises, the participation of US F-35 aircraft in Rajasthan, technology investments in both countries and American imports of Indian generic medicines as examples of the relationship’s breadth.

Before arriving in India, Rubio will attend the C5+1 Ministerial in Samarkand, bringing together the US and Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and the Kyrgyz Republic. He will hold bilateral meetings with senior officials, while more than 200 American business leaders will join a commercial delegation to Uzbekistan.

RUSSIAN DIESEL ‘FOR THE WORLD MARKET’

Energy supplies also featured prominently in Trump’s defence of his arrangement with Russia, which has drawn concerns from Republican senators.

Trump said the diesel would enter global markets rather than be supplied directly to the United States.

“That’s a diesel deal, not for us. That’s being released into the world. That’s not being released to us,” he said.

“That’s a diesel deal that’s going to be released into the world for the world market. Because the world market suffers from high prices.”

The description differed from his earlier remarks presenting the arrangement as Russian diesel shipments to the US.

Trump had announced an initial supply of more than 300,000 tonnes, followed by 500,000 tonnes in November and one million tonnes immediately afterwards. A further three million tonnes would depend on the condition of Russia’s diesel refineries.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has said petroleum supplies to US and global markets would benefit the world economy. According to the Russian Foreign Ministry, the issue was discussed during his telephone conversation with Trump on Friday, alongside Ukraine and Iran.

‘WE ARE SHARING INTEL’ WITH UKRAINE

Trump rejected suggestions that Washington had stopped sharing intelligence with Kyiv, saying the US continued to assist Ukraine while working with both sides to end the war.

“We are helping them, and we are sharing Intel. We want the war to end. So, we’re working with them and with Russia on getting the war to end,” he said.

Asked why he believed Putin wanted a settlement more than Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Trump cited his negotiating experience and argued that both leaders wanted the conflict to end.

“They both want it to end, and they don’t know how to get to that point. There’s a lot of hatred there between the two of them. We’re going to get them there,” he said.

However, he declined to immediately assess whether Russia had violated the proposed energy ceasefire.

“I’ll let you know about that later,” Trump said. When a reporter cited Russian attacks on Ukrainian energy sites on Monday, he responded that Ukraine had struck sites the preceding day.

KYIV DISPUTES MOSCOW’S COMMITMENT

Zelenskyy gave a different account, saying Ukraine had refrained from attacking Russian refineries and other energy facilities for two days after Trump announced the proposed ceasefire.

“But Russia did not heed the American President,” he wrote on X.

He said Russian forces had launched more than 100 weapons, including drones and ballistic missiles, between Monday evening and Tuesday. Civilian and critical infrastructure across 19 Ukrainian regions had been hit over two days, according to the Ukrainian president.

Trump separately said Washington would make a decision on Iran “very soon”, while claiming that the US controlled the Strait of Hormuz and that substantial oil supplies were passing through it. He did not spell out what action he was considering.

With inputs from ANI