External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar is scheduled to visit the United States next week, ANI reported on Wednesday, citing sources.
The development comes after a phone call between Jaishankar and Secretary of State Marco Rubio on January 13 in which they discussed bilateral trade talks and potential opportunities to expand cooperation in the civil nuclear sector. US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor later noted that the two leaders also discussed the possibility of a one-on-one meeting in February.
Earlier this month, the US State Department announced that the inaugural Critical Minerals Ministerial Conference, scheduled for February 4 and hosted by Rubio, will bring together international partners to strengthen cooperation on critical mineral supply chains.
In a post on X, the State Department said the department’s goal is to strengthen global cooperation to ensure reliable and resilient critical mineral supply chains that are vital to U.S. economic and national security, technology leadership, and the energy transition.
The State Department said: “On February 4, Secretary Rubio will welcome partners from around the world to the State Department for the inaugural Ministerial Conference on Critical Minerals. Strengthening critical minerals supply chains with our international partners is vital to America’s economic and national security, technology leadership, and resilient energy future.”
Bessent is convened by the Minister of Finance
Earlier this month, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent convened a high-level ministerial meeting in Washington to explore ways to secure and diversify global supply chains for critical minerals, with an emphasis on rare earth elements, amid growing concerns about supply vulnerabilities.
According to the US Treasury Department, the meeting was attended by finance ministers and senior officials from major economies such as Australia, Canada, the European Union, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Mexico, South Korea and the United Kingdom.
India was represented by Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, who oversees Railways, Information and Broadcasting and Electronics and Information Technology.
Meanwhile, a US congressional delegation, led by House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mike Rogers and accompanied by US Ambassador to India Sergio Gore, met with Defense Minister Rajesh Kumar Singh to discuss ways to improve defense cooperation under the recently signed 10-year Major Defense Partnership Framework Agreement.
According to the Ministry of Defense, the January 27 meeting included wide-ranging talks on strengthening defense industry cooperation and developing bilateral military ties.
The Department of Defense on X said: “A US Congressional delegation led by the Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee (HASC) Mike Rogers met with the Minister of Defense Shri Rajesh Kumar Singh today. They had wide-ranging discussions including the recently concluded 10-year Major Defense Partnership Framework Agreement with an emphasis on enhancing defense industry cooperation.”
