Energy and critical minerals in focus as Jaishankar holds talks in Washington

India has not commented on the announcement regarding oil, but its purchase of Russian oil has been on the decline ever since the punitive 25 per cent US tariff kicked in.

In a post on X, Jaishankar said he was “delighted to meet” Rubio. He said they had “a wide ranging conversation that covered our bilateral cooperation agenda, regional and global issues”.

“Facets of India-US Strategic Partnership discussed included trade, energy, nuclear, defence, critical minerals and technology. Agreed on the early meetings of various mechanisms to advance our shared interests,” he said.

Rubio said he met Jaishankar to “discuss our bilateral cooperation on critical minerals exploration and work together to unlock new economic opportunities between our two countries. We also commended the trade deal between the United States and India”.

State Department Principal Deputy Spokesperson Tommy Pigott said, “The Secretary and External Affairs Minister discussed formalizing bilateral cooperation on critical minerals exploration, mining, and processing.”

“Secretary Rubio and Minister Jaishankar welcomed the trade deal reached between President Trump and Prime Minister Modi. The two leaders emphasized the importance of our democracies working together to unlock new economic opportunities and advance our shared energy security goals.”

Bilateral ties to expand through Quad

“Secretary Rubio and Minister Jaishankar concluded their meeting by expressing their commitment to expanding bilateral and multilateral cooperation through the Quad. They acknowledged that a prosperous Indo-Pacific region remains vital to advancing our shared interests,” he said. India is expected to host the Quad leaders’ summit this year – it was supposed to be held last year.

On his meeting with Bessent, Jaishankar said, “Had a useful discussion on the advancement of India-US economic partnership and strategic cooperation.”

Enjoyed today’s meeting with Minister @DrSJaishankar of India.

During our talks, we addressed the importance of securing supply chains, as well as other national and economic security issues of mutual interest. pic.twitter.com/QZPWw6GW5M

— Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent (@SecScottBessent) February 4, 2026

Bessent, in a post, said, “During our talks, we addressed the importance of securing supply chains, as well as other national and economic security issues of mutual interest.” Bessent had been critical of India’s purchase of Russian oil. Last week, in the wake of the free trade agreement between India and the European Union, he had described the Europeans as “very disappointing”, stating that they were unwilling to join Washington in putting tariffs on Delhi over its purchase of Russian oil because of the India-EU trade deal.

Later in the day, after speaking at the inaugural critical minerals ministerial meeting, Jaishankar said, “Underlined challenges of excessive concentration and the importance of de-risking supply chains through structured international cooperation.”

“Highlighted India’s efforts towards greater resilience through initiatives including National Critical Minerals Mission, Rare Earth Corridors and responsible commerce,” he wrote on X, adding that he “conveyed India’s support to the FORGE initiative on critical minerals.”

With the ministerial, the US aims to advance collective efforts to strengthen and diversify critical minerals supply chains.