Jaishankar, Marco Rubio Meet In Malaysia — What They Discussed

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Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met US State Secretary Marco Rubio in Malaysia on the sidelines of the ASEAN summit today. The talks were held amid the ongoing trade talks between New Delhi and Washington.In a post on X, Jaishankar appreciated their discussion on bilateral ties as well as regional and global issues.India's Recent Take on Trade TalksIndia's Ambassador to the United States, Vinay Mohan Kwatra, on Sunday discussed a mutually beneficial trade agreement, energy security and oil and gas trade with Jeanne Shaheen, Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

“Had a productive meeting with @SenatorShaheen, Ranking Member, Senate Foreign Relations Committee @SFRCdems. Our discussions focused on our work to arrive at a mutually beneficial trade arrangement, India’s energy security and increasing oil and gas trade with the US, and shared geopolitical challenges in our region,” Kwatra posted on social media. The Indian Ambassador also shared Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s stance on the Russia-Ukraine conflict. The meeting was held days after Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal made it clear that India will not sign any trade agreement in haste or will reject conditions from partner countries that restrict its trading choices.He pointed out that trade deals are not just about tariffs, but about building trust, long-term ties, and creating sustainable frameworks for global business cooperation.

Hinting at the ongoing trade talks with Washington, he said, "In a very short-term context, it's not about what is going to happen in the next six months. It's not just about being able to sell steel to America."Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agrawal, meanwhile, said that trade talks between India and the US are "progressing well" and the two sides are "converging" on most issues, hinting that a mutually beneficial deal is imminent.“I think we are very close,” Agrawal said, referring to the Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA) proposed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump on February 13.According to the joint statement released in February, the first part of the proposed BTA was expected to be concluded by the fall, which is September through November in the US.