U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks during a press briefing in the James Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House in Washington, on May 5, 2026.
| Photo Credit: AP
In a visit expected to shore up India-U.S. ties, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is set to travel to India for bilateral talks and to attend the Australia-India-Japan-U.S. Quad Foreign Ministers’ Meeting (FMM). Outlooking the visit on Wednesday (May 6, 2026), U.S. Ambassador to India Sergio Gor said he hoped to welcome Mr. Rubio to India “soon”. Sources told The Hindu that Mr. Rubio is expected to be in Delhi for a three-day visit from May 24 to 26, his first since taking over as U.S. Secretary of State last January.
“The United States deeply values our growing partnership with India, and we are excited to build even stronger ties that will benefit both our nations and the world,” Mr. Gor, who is also U.S. President Donald Trump’s Special envoy for South and Central Asia, said in a post. “See you soon, Mr. Secretary!” he added.
In a separate post after meeting with Delhi Lieutenant Governor Taranjit Singh Sandhu, Mr. Gor also announced that several U.S. Governors would be visiting India in the months ahead.
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Public reception
Mr. Rubio’s visit will include a public reception in Delhi on May 24 to celebrate 250 years of the United States’ Declaration of Independence. He will hold talks with External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and National Security Adviser Ajit Doval, and call on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in discussions that are expected to set the course for India-U.S. ties after several ups and downs over tariffs and sanctions, as well as the impact of the war in West Asia. On Tuesday (May 5, 2026), Mr. Rubio announced that U.S. operations on Iran that were launched on February 28 had “ended”, while naval operations to forcibly open up the Strait of Hormuz from Iranian control have been “paused” while U.S.-Iran talks are on.
On May 26, Mr. Rubio and Mr. Jaishankar will be joined by Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong and Japan’s Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi for the Quad FMM. Mr. Motegi and Ms. Wong have both visited Delhi in the past few months, and are expected to travel to India just for the Quad talks. The U.S. Secretary of State’s visit will follow a visit to Beijing by U.S. President Mr. Trump, tentatively expected on May 14-15, and Mr. Rubio is expected to brief his Quad counterparts about the outcomes of that visit as well. All eyes will be on whether the Quad meet agrees on a date for the Summit, which the government hopes to hold later this year, after trying unsuccessfully to host it for the past two years. In particular, a visit to India by Mr. Trump, who faces mid-term elections in November, will be key to scheduling the Summit.
Also Read | Discussed ways to build strong future of India-U.S. ties: U.S. envoy Gor on meeting with Trump
Indian and U.S. officials are also expected to review the progress in the Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA) during Mr. Rubio’s visit. Although an interim agreement was announced by Mr. Trump and Mr. Modi after a phone call in February this year, it has missed several finalisation deadlines, and remains unfinished due to uncertainty over the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to strike down Mr. Trump’s “liberation day tariffs”.
On Wednesday (May 6, 2026), the U.S. government announced that investments promised by Indian businesses during a “Select USA” were the single largest by any country in 2026.
“Historic deals in tech, manufacturing, and pharmaceuticals announced today have unlocked over $20.5 billion in investment. This is a record-breaking moment,” the U.S. State Department said in a statement on social media.
Published – May 07, 2026 02:28 am IST
