Rubio Meets Indian PM to Repair Strained Relations

(Central News Agency, New Delhi, May 23) US Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi today to discuss trade and energy supply issues, as Rubio attempts to repair the rift in bilateral relations.

Washington previously imposed high tariffs on India, and recent events, including President Trump's visit to Beijing and Pakistan's role as a mediator in the Iran war peace talks, have raised concerns in India.

The US has previously worked to reduce India's dependence on Russian oil, but the global energy crisis triggered by the US-Israel conflict with Iran has hindered Washington's long-term efforts. Before this visit, Rubio stated that the US intends to sell energy products to India.

According to the US summary of the talks, Rubio emphasized during the meeting that "US energy products can help diversify India's energy supply."

Rubio's office noted that the Secretary of State emphasized that "the US will not let Iran hold the global energy market hostage."

The Indian government stated that during today's talks, Prime Minister Narendra Modi did not specifically mention Iran but reiterated India's support for peace efforts and called for resolving conflicts through dialogue and diplomacy.

At the same time, the tariff dispute between the US and India stems from the Trump administration's imposition of a combined 50% "reciprocal" and punitive tariff on India last August, half of which was primarily due to India's purchase of Russian crude oil.

In early February this year, the two sides reached a "provisional agreement framework," but in late February, the US Supreme Court overturned this framework, ruling that the tariff rate should be 10%, causing negotiations to stall again.

Media reports indicate that Rubio attempted to repair the tariff rift during this visit, but did not explain after the meeting whether there was any progress.

Additionally, the US and India's rival, Pakistan, have recently become close, with Islamabad acting as a mediator in the US-Iran war peace talks, creating a new friction point in US-India relations.

New Delhi has been hoping to invite Trump to visit India through the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad) between the US, Australia, Japan, and India. However, experts analyze that this proposal has been shelved due to trade tensions and the US being distracted by matters such as the US-Iran war.

US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor stated that Rubio's trip also represented Trump's invitation for Modi to visit the White House in the near future.