Rubio says U.S. to discuss refining Venezuelan crude with Reliance, adds India made ‘substantial progress’ in diversifying energy supplies

​U.S. ‌Secretary of ​State ⁠Marco Rubio said on ‌Tuesday (October 20, 2026) that the ‌United ‌States ⁠will ⁠talk with Reliance about ​refining ‌more Venezuelan crude.

The U.S. ‌will also ​discuss with Reliance ⁠producing oil ‌in Venezuela, Mr. Rubio told journalists as ‌he started ​his India trip after landing in Mumbai.

On Wednesday (October 21, 2026), the top U.S. diplomat will depart from Mumbai for Jamnagar to see the Reliance energy refinery and the Vantara animal facility, hosted by the Ambani family that officials termed a “private visit”.

Mr. Rubio also said India had made “substantial progress” in diversifying its energy supplies, including away from its key importer Russia. “What India has expressed repeatedly is their desire to diversify their energy portfolio, which is a smart thing to do.”

“Obviously, it’s not easy to do that from one day to the next, so I think they’ve made substantial progress in that regard, and we’re happy to see that,” he added.

On the India-U.S. trade talks

Mr. Rubio’s visit comes as India and the United States struggle to finalise a trade deal, a persistent source of friction between both countries.

“We’re very very close; I would say we’re about as close as you can be without having an executed agreement. I think there’s a small number of items left to wrap up,” Mr. Rubio said.

“Hopefully have some good news to announce fairly soon, and perhaps the leaders can sign it thereafter,” he said.

(With inputs from Reuters, AFP)