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External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar said his call with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio ended on a positive note, focusing on cooperation in trade, critical minerals, nuclear energy and defence, as both sides aim to more than double bilateral trade to $500 billion by 2030.
Signs of improvement: the call has raised hopes of renewed momentum in India-U.S. ties. As part of efforts to narrow the trade gap, New Delhi has committed to ramping up purchases of U.S. energy and defence equipment.
The call comes days after Sergio Gor assumed charge as the U.S. Ambassador to India. His appointment has raised expectations of a diplomatic reset.
Soon after taking office, Gor said India would be invited to join Pax Silica. The U.S.-led initiative focuses on securing supply chains for silicon, advanced manufacturing and artificial intelligence. It also aims to reduce strategic dependencies and safeguard critical technologies.
A quick background: since Donald Trump took office, the U.S. has imposed steep reciprocal tariffs on India, initially 25% in April last year, rising to 50% after trade talks collapsed, including penalties linked to India’s Russian oil imports. As India’s largest export market, the higher duties threaten key sectors such as seafood, jewellery and textiles.
