Marco Rubio to skip Delhi and visit Mumbai and Jamnagar next week
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio | Photo credit: Reuters
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will travel to India for his second visit in six months, with energy and trade ties at the forefront of his visit to Mumbai and Jamnagar, the US State Department announced on Wednesday (Oct 14, 2026).
However, Mr Rubio, who is expected to visit India from October 19-22 after traveling to Samarkand, Uzbekistan for a regional conference, will skip Delhi.
“(Mr. Rubio) will meet with senior government officials to strengthen the US-India strategic partnership, exchange views on regional and global dynamics, and discuss prospects for enhanced energy cooperation,” the State Department said in a statement, adding that Mr. Rubio will also meet with business leaders to “promote investment opportunities.”
Mr Rubio’s planned visit to Jamnagar is significant as it is home to the world’s largest refinery run by Reliance industries and is expected to include a large reception hosted by the Ambani family. The Jamnagar refinery is one of the three largest refiners of Russian Urals crude, although it has reduced its share of imports. The visit would come just a day after US President Donald Trump was given a mandate by the US Congress to propose special tariffs as sanctions on India and other countries buying Russian oil under the Russia-Iran Sanctions Act (SRIA) passed last month.
In March 2026, Mr. Trump announced that Reliance Industries would invest in a refinery in Brownsville, Texas, although details of the exact collaboration have still not been released.
The US Secretary of State is expected to meet External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar during the visit, but the Ministry of External Affairs has not confirmed the visit or responded to questions about why Mr Rubio is skipping Delhi on this visit.
Asked about the US statement on the trip, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said the government would make an announcement “at an appropriate time, what will be the matters that need to be addressed”. He also said the government would release details of the visit “as and when they happen”. To another question, he said that India had already conveyed its concerns about SRIA to the US government.
Tension in bonds
Mr. Rubio’s visit comes at a time of strain in Indo-US economic relations for a number of other reasons. Senior officials and ministers on both sides have acknowledged there are difficulties in the bilateral trade agreement (BTA), with Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman saying talks had “stalled” last week.
US-India relations were dealt another blow last week when the Trump administration suspended the permission of five Indian technology outsourcing companies to certify Indian professionals as eligible for green cards or permanent residency. The visit would also come just before key US mid-term elections, where Trump’s Republican Party is expected to face losses.
Still, Mr. Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi are scheduled to meet on Dec. 13 on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Florida and possibly in November at ASEAN-linked summits in Manila. The two leaders spoke by phone on September 30.
US Ambassador to India and the region Sergio Gore hinted to reporters that more commitments would be announced soon, saying, “Stay tuned for what’s coming next”, during the 250th anniversary of US Independence Day celebrations in Kolkata on Monday. Mr. Rubio last visited Delhi in May 2026 to attend the Quad Foreign Ministers’ Meeting.
Published – October 15, 2026 0:47 AM IST