Calling India a “refining superpower”, United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he had discussed possible Indian oil purchases from the U.S. during talks with External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on Tuesday (October 20, 2026). He will also discuss a plan for more Venezuelan oil to be refined at the Mukesh Ambani-owned Reliance Energy plant in Jamnagar, he added.
Mr. Rubio added that India and the U.S. are “very, very close” to wrapping up negotiations on a much-delayed free trade agreement (FTA).
Energy ties, trade, and connectivity were on the agenda as Mr. Jaishankar hosted Mr. Rubio and United Arab Emirates Foreign Minister Abdullah Bin Zayed in Mumbai. The External Affairs Minister met with each of his counterparts separately, and then held a meeting with both of them together, indicating that trilateral cooperation on the issues was also discussed.
Trilateral cooperation
Mr. Jaishankar called the trilateral meeting a “useful exchange of perspectives on energy, connectivity and contemporary developments”.
“The U.S., India, and UAE have real opportunities to advance cooperation on energy, trade, technology, and regional connectivity,” said U.S. Ambassador to India Sergio Gor, sharing a photograph of the three Foreign Ministers together in Mumbai.
However, the readouts made no mention of plans for the “I2U2” that the three countries formed with Israel in 2021 or the India-Middle East Economic Corridor (IMEC) that was announced in 2023.
‘Very, very close to FTA’
Mr. Rubio’s visit comes at a time of tension in India-U.S. ties due to several issues, including the U.S.’s recent moves to stop H-1B visas, threatened sanctions (that have since been held off) over India’s import of Russian oil, and delayed FTA negotiations.
“We’re very, very close. I would say we’re about as close as you can be without having executed the [free trade] agreement. I think there’s a small number of items left to wrap up, so I think that will happen shortly,” Mr. Rubio said, adding that the State Department was closely involved with the negotiations between trade officials.
The India-U.S.-UAE trilateral meeting, which was not earlier announced by the MEA, comes at a time when the UAE is also facing many challenges in energy exports and trade due to the U.S. war in Iran and Tehran’s blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. Mr. Jaishankar met Mr. Abdullah in Mumbai just four days after he had travelled to Abu Dhabi where the two Foreign Ministers had also spent time together.
‘Strong strategic partner’
This is Mr. Rubio’s second visit to India in five months after his last visit to Delhi for the Quad Foreign Ministers meeting in May this year. This time around, Mr. Rubio’s focus is on the economic side of the bilateral relationship, officials said.
There have been questions raised about Mr. Rubio’s planned two-day visit to Jamnagar, as well as criticism that he had “summoned” Mr. Jaishankar to Mumbai rather than travelling to meet him in Delhi. Speaking to journalists at the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel in Mumbai, where he and Mr. Jaishankar offered tributes to those who were killed in the 26/11 terror attacks, Mr. Rubio fielded questions over the purpose of his visit, and why he had returned to India so soon.
“First of all, I will point out that the Foreign Minister of India [Mr. Jaishankar] has been to the United States four times this year,” Mr. Rubio explained, adding that as the most populous country and largest democracy that is a trade and defence partner, a “strong strategic partner” and a Quad member, India is an important country to interact with.
Reviving Reliance’s Venezuelan link
He explained that his visit to Jamnagar, where he will see the Reliance energy refinery and the Vantara animal facility, was in order to discuss more Venezuelan oil being brought to the refinery. “We’ve talked to them [Reliance Energy] about it in the past. We’re going to go see what the holdup is and what opportunities exist. We’ll see how the conversation goes. This is a company that has had a presence in Venezuela in the past and whose refining capabilities are substantial,” he added.
When asked about India’s purchase of Russian oil that makes up about 45% to 50% of its intake, Mr. Rubio said that he was “happy” to see India has made “substantial progress” on diversifying its oil purchases, adding that the U.S. and Venezuela can be the source of more energy inputs to India. Last month, oil from Russia, the U.S., and Venezuela made up two-thirds of India’s oil imports.
(with inputs from Vinaya Deshpande in Mumbai)
Published – October 20, 2026 04:57 pm IST
