US Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar on Monday as Washington and New Delhi seek to advance trade talks and ease tensions over recent US tariffs. While few specifics were disclosed, the meeting marked the highest-level engagement between the two countries since the United States imposed sanctions last week on several Russian oil firms a key source of India’s crude imports. Jaishankar shared a photo on social media showing him shaking hands with Rubio, noting that he “appreciated the discussion on our bilateral ties, as well as regional and global developments.” The talks were held on the sidelines of a Southeast Asian summit in Malaysia, which was attended in person by US President Donald Trump, while Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi joined via video link. Relations between Washington and New Delhi plummeted in August after Trump raised tariffs to 50 percent, with US officials accusing India of fuelling Russia’s war in Ukraine by buying Moscow’s discounted oil. Trump, who spoke to Modi last week by telephone, has claimed that the Indian leader has agreed to cut Russian oil imports — something New Delhi has not commented on.
US, India hold talks to ease tensions as trade dispute lingers
