The pact was signed during the Quad Foreign Ministers’ meet, in External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s presence.
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“We are today signing a bilateral India-US framework on securing supplies of mining and processing of critical minerals and rare earths. This is something we have also discussed today at the Quad meeting and whether we are doing it bilaterally, or in the Quad format or as a larger gathering of like-minded nations, it is something very timely and critical,” said EAM Jaishankar.
This framework aims to deepen our cooperation across the entire critical minerals and rare earth supply chain, including mining, processing, recycling and related investment, he added.
US-India ‘closely cooperative’ in the world
“It will strengthen resilient and diversified supply chains, help us to collaborate and financing and with the effective management of critical minerals and rare earths… It is one more sign of how close our cooperation is in a world where there are so many challenges but also so many opportunities,” the EAM said.
“I have spoken often during my time here over the last few days about the strategic alliance between the United States and India and how important that is for our national interest in the United States. And today is a tangible example of it. We are two countries that have strategic interests in ensuring reliable long-term access to critical minerals and supply chains that are important for our innovation economy,” said Marco Rubio. The agreement comes more than two months after US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor said Washington and New Delhi were “very close” to finalising a critical minerals deal that would help secure supply chains needed for advanced manufacturing, energy systems and emerging technologies.
“The groundwork was laid for this on the 4th of February when you joined us at the Critical Minerals Forum that we hosted in Washington, D.C. It gained momentum later that month when India signed on to Paxilla… and now today, because we both have a strategic and shared interest in the fact that vibrant innovation economies such as ours cannot afford to leave the foundational materials of these industries vulnerable to single source monopolies that could deny us these things, not just in a time of conflict, but as a leverage point contrary to our sovereign national interests,” Rubio added.
So it’s a pleasure to be here today and I’m glad we were able to sign this because in addition to being an important document and important agreement, it brings a tangible example of the strategic partnership between the United States and India, he said.
Speaking at the India Today Conclave 2026 on March 13, Gor had said a “big announcement” on the agreement was expected within months, while describing recent developments in India-US ties as a “remarkable series of breakthroughs” spanning trade, technology cooperation and strategic coordination.
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He had also stressed that reliable and diversified critical mineral supply chains were indispensable to economic growth and national security, adding that the US was working with partners across the Indo-Pacific to ensure such materials were “never used as leverage against our economies”.
The pact gains significance at a time when countries are seeking to diversify sourcing of rare earths and critical minerals used in batteries, electronics, renewable energy systems and advanced defence technologies, amid concerns over China’s dominance in global processing and supply chains.