Rubio Skips New Delhi on Second India Trip, Focuses on Business and Oil
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio bypassed New Delhi and did not meet PM Narendra Modi on his second India visit this year, focusing on business and oil instead.
The story in focus
The Guardian reports that US Secretary of State Marco Rubio visited India for the second time this year without going to New Delhi or meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He met foreign minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar and business leaders in Mumbai, and Reliance chair Mukesh Ambani in Jamnagar.
- Rubio skipped New Delhi and did not meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the trip
- He met foreign minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar and business leaders in Mumbai
- In Jamnagar he met Mukesh Ambani, chair of Reliance Industries
- Carnegie analyst Milan Vaishnav said the venue choices were intentional and deal-focused
- Ties have been strained over tariffs and India's purchase of Russian oil
Itinerary draws attention
The Guardian reported that Rubio's second visit to India this year concentrated attention on whom he met and where he went. He bypassed New Delhi and did not meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi, instead travelling to Mumbai, where he met India's foreign minister, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, and business leaders.
He also travelled to Jamnagar, a small Gujarati town that is home to Reliance Industries' oil refinery complex, where he met Reliance chair Mukesh Ambani.
Deal-making lens
Milan Vaishnav, director of the South Asia Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, told The Guardian that not every bilateral meeting has to take place in a national capital, but he considered the choice of venues intentional. In his account, the administration views foreign policy through deal-making, making Mumbai a fitting stop for business deals.
The Jamnagar visit, Vaishnav said, reflected an effort to encourage Reliance and India to process more Venezuelan crude, at a time of high petrol prices in the United States ahead of the 3 November midterm elections.
Strain and resilience
Bilateral ties have come under strain under the second Trump administration, particularly over tariffs and India's purchase of Russian oil, The Guardian reported. Vaishnav cited a punitive 50% tariff imposed on India in 2025 that was reduced to 18% earlier this year without a comprehensive trade deal, and H-1B visa and green card restrictions affecting Indian workers.
He also noted resilient elements, including record bilateral trade in 2025 and a record number of joint military exercises this year.
What did Marco Rubio's India itinerary include?
He bypassed New Delhi without meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi, met foreign minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar and business leaders in Mumbai, and met Reliance chair Mukesh Ambani in Jamnagar, The Guardian reported.
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