Marco Rubio says India-US trade pact is on the brink of completion

Marco Rubio, the U.S. Secretary of State, said the United States and India are "very, very close" to finalising a bilateral trade pact, describing the status as the nearest possible before formal execution. He indicated that only a handful of issues remain to be settled and expressed optimism that an announcement will follow shortly. While in Mumbai, Rubio also defended India’s decision to seek alternative energy supplies, calling its diversification efforts a "smart thing to do" and acknowledging recent progress with Russian oil imports.

The remarks arrived days after Washington waived certain sanctions that had been set to affect Russia, India, China and three other nations. Previously, the United States had criticized India’s purchase of Russian oil and imposed high tariffs, which were later reduced as trade talks advanced. Rubio’s statements link the trade negotiations to broader national-security considerations, including energy security discussions with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar.