US Secretary of State Marco Rubio met Monday with External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, stressing that ties between the two countries remain “of critical importance” despite fresh strains including a move to curb skilled-worker visas that will hit Indian nationals hardest.
Rubio thanked the Indian government for its continued engagement on trade, defence, energy, pharmaceuticals and critical minerals, according to a US readout of the meeting, held on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York. Both sides agreed to keep working together to promote a free and open Indo-Pacific, including through the Quad security grouping with Japan and Australia, the statement said.
Jaishankar said of the meeting in a post on X that the two sides “agreed on the importance of sustained engagement to progress on priority areas” and would remain in touch.
The meeting came after President Donald Trump last month upended decades of US diplomacy with India by imposing 50 per cent tariffs on Indian exports, partly to penalise New Delhi for continuing to buy Russian oil. Relations appeared to improve briefly when trade talks resumed and Trump called Prime Minister Narendra Modi to wish him a happy birthday.
But tensions escalated further last week when Trump announced a $100,000 fee on new H-1B applications, a move that would disproportionately affect Indians, who have accounted for more than 70 per cent of such visas in the past. The order has rattled India’s $280-billion tech services industry, threatening business outsourcing models and putting thousands of jobs at risk.
Trump’s visa shock strains India-US ties, clouds trade talks
The Trump administration has demanded India halt Russian oil imports, saying the purchases help finance President Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine. Indian officials last week pressed US negotiators to scrap the additional 25 per cent tariff penalty, although Modi’s administration has said it won’t halt Russian energy purchases.
The US has also pressured Group of Seven leaders to raise tariffs on India and China to penalise them for buying Russian oil. JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon said in an interview with Times of India he hopes Trump and Modi can reach an agreement.
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Published on September 23, 2025
