Rubio, who is in Uzbekistan, will be in Mumbai on Tuesday, where he will meet External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar. Rubio will also travel to Jamnagar, home to one of the world’s largest refineries, later in the week.
Speaking to reporters, Rubio said. “We’re trying to finalise a trade deal with India right now. We’re very close to doing that.”
“We’ve had to waive sanctions over the past few months because of the impact on global supplies and prices…We have to manage all of these things. We’re trying to finalise a trade deal with India right now. We’re very close to doing that. That’s one of the things we take into consideration when the President makes a decision about national security waivers and things of that nature. Every country has a complex set of factors that it has to take into account. Geography is real. For some countries, it’s very difficult to acquire energy from alternative sources. That’s not an excuse, but all of that has to be balanced when making foreign policy,” he added.