US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will begin his first visit to India on May 23

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. | Photo credit: AFP

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will make his first visit to India between May 23 and 26, the US State Department said on Friday.

The visit will be closely watched as it comes against a backdrop of continued US involvement in hostilities in the Persian Gulf region that have had implications for India’s energy security. Mr. Rubio’s visit is part of India’s busy diplomatic calendar for this summer and monsoon season, with New Delhi expected to host BRICS meetings, the Quad, the India-Africa Forum summit and other platforms.

“As America prepares to celebrate our 250th birthday, we look forward to doing so with our partners in India. India is the largest democracy in the world and we are the oldest in the world. So we look forward to celebrating together,” Mr Rubio said in a video message shared on X by the US Embassy in India. He will visit Calcutta, Agra, Jaipur and New Delhi.

Energy security on the agenda

“The secretary will discuss energy security, trade and defense cooperation during the meeting with senior Indian officials,” US State Department spokesman Thomas Pigott said. Mr. Rubio will arrive in India from Sweden, where he will attend the NATO Foreign Ministers’ meeting on May 22.

The visit comes amid emerging regional and global diplomatic dialogues, days after India hosted a BRICS foreign ministers’ meeting attended by Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi and his deputy Kazem Gharibabadi. During those meetings, the Iranian delegation said a “lack of trust” with the United States was holding back a diplomatic solution to the West Asian conflict that began on February 28.

Quad FM see you soon

The State Department announcement made no mention of the Quad meeting of foreign ministers, which is also expected in the near future. However, in a post on X, the US Embassy mentioned the Quad meeting. “The US Embassy in India looks forward to welcoming Secretary Rubio on his first visit to India, the Quad Ministerial meetings, high-level engagements, and celebrating America’s 250 years,” it said.

Asked for confirmation, a US embassy spokesman said the mission had no “further details”. “Further details will be announced in due course,” the spokeswoman said.

Earlier on May 12, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, “We are hosting the Quad Summit this year. We have had several technical level meetings as part of it. We will also hold several high level meetings and we will inform you about those meetings once they are held.”

Visiting Calcutta

Mr. Rubio’s visit to Calcutta is the first visit by a US Secretary of State in nearly fourteen years. The last time the city hosted a US Secretary of State was in May 2012 when Hillary Clinton visited Kolkata and met then Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

The visit comes weeks after Ms Banerjee lost the West Bengal Assembly elections that saw the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) come to power in the state for the first time. The West Bengal government has confirmed that Mr Rubio will meet Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari. The US secretary of state is also likely to visit the Missionaries of Charity, an organization founded by Nobel laureate Mother Teresa. Earlier, US Ambassador Sergio Gor also visited Missionaries of Charity headquarters in the city.

Published – 20 May 2026 22:44 IST