External Affairs Minister (EAM) S. Jaishankar met US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Manila on Wednesday for talks that focused on the proposed India-US trade deal, tariffs, and other key bilateral issues, even as both sides continued broader diplomatic engagement at the ASEAN-led ministerial meetings.

The meeting took place on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and Quad foreign ministers’ meetings. The talks come hours after US President Donald Trump threatened steep tariffs on generic medicines, a development that raised concerns among Indian drugmakers.

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Diplomacy in fine fettle

Rubio described India’s relationship with Washington as “vitally important” and said the two leaders discussed “regional security issues, the Quad, trade, and defense agreements.”

His meeting with Jaishankar was attended by US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Allison Hooker, US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor, and other officials.

Jaishankar, in a post on X, said the discussion with Rubio “focused on areas that are a priority” for the India-US comprehensive global strategic partnership, including “trade and tariffs, energy, defense and security, critical minerals, and artificial intelligence.”

The bargain gathers pace

A State Department spokesperson said Rubio and Jaishankar also discussed recent developments in West Asia and the Indo-Pacific.

The spokesperson added that the two sides discussed “finalizing key defense agreements” in line with commitments made by President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi last year and said Rubio and Jaishankar agreed on the importance of concluding the interim trade deal, which is “almost complete.”

The readout did not say tariffs were mentioned in that discussion, even as tariff issues remained central in Jaishankar’s own account of the meeting.

No idle hour for diplomacy

The bilateral meeting also came as Jaishankar held a separate round of diplomacy in Manila, including talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on the Russia-Ukraine conflict, energy cooperation, and the safety of Indian seafarers after the attack on a merchant vessel near Ukraine’s Odesa port.

Jaishankar also met counterparts from the Philippines, Singapore, and Canada, underscoring the dense diplomatic calendar around the ASEAN meetings as India managed parallel conversations with Washington, Moscow, and other partners.

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FAQs

Q1: Why did S. Jaishankar meet Marco Rubio in Manila?

S. Jaishankar and Marco Rubio met to discuss India-US trade, tariffs, defence cooperation, regional security and other strategic issues on the sidelines of the ASEAN meetings in Manila.

Q2: What did Marco Rubio say about US relations with India?

Marco Rubio described the US relationship with India as “vitally important” while reaffirming cooperation on trade, defence and the Quad.