U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks during a press conference at the James Brady press briefing at the White House in Washington, May 5, 2026. | Photo credit: AP
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio is set to travel to India for bilateral talks and attend the Australia-India-Japan-US Quadrilateral Foreign Ministers’ Meeting (FMM) in a visit that is expected to strengthen India-US relations. Looking ahead to a visit on Wednesday (6 May 2026), US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor said he hoped to welcome Mr Rubio to India “soon”. Sources told The Hindu that Mr. Rubio is expected to be in Delhi on a three-day visit from May 24 to 26, his first since taking over as the US Secretary of State last January.
“The United States deeply values our growing partnership with India, and we are excited to build even stronger ties that will benefit our nations and the world,” Mr. Gore, who is also US President Donald Trump’s special envoy for South and Central Asia, said in a post. “See you soon, Mr. Secretary!” he added.
In a separate post after meeting Delhi Governor Taranjit Singh Sandhu, Mr Gor also announced that several US governors would visit India in the coming months.
Also read | India and the US have held “constructive” face-to-face talks on a trade deal, but no word on a deadline
Public reception
Mr. Rubio’s visit will include a public reception in New Delhi on May 24 to celebrate 250 years of the United States’ Declaration of Independence. He will hold talks with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and invite Prime Minister Narendra Modi in discussions that are expected to set the course for Indo-US relations after several ups and downs over tariffs and sanctions as well as the fallout from the war in West Asia. On Tuesday (May 5, 2026), Mr Rubio announced that US operations in Iran, which began on February 28, had “ended”, while naval operations to forcefully open the Strait of Hormuz under Iranian control had been “suspended” while talks between the US and Iran continued.
On May 26, Mr Rubio and Mr Jaishankar will be joined by Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong and Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi at Quad FMM. Mr Motegi and Ms Wong have both visited Delhi in the past few months and are expected to go to India just for the Quad talks. The US Secretary of State’s visit will follow US President Mr Trump’s visit to Beijing, tentatively expected on May 14-15, and Mr Rubio is also expected to brief his Quad counterparts on the outcome of that visit. All eyes will be on whether the Quad meeting agrees on a date for the summit, which the government hopes to hold later this year after unsuccessfully trying to host it for the past two years. In particular, Mr. Trump’s visit to India, which faces mid-term elections in November, will be key to planning the summit.
Also read | Ways to build a strong future for India-US relations discussed: US envoy Gor meets Trump
Indian and US officials are expected to review progress on the Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA) during Mr. Rubio’s visit. Although the interim deal was announced by Mr Trump and Mr Modi after a phone call in February this year, it missed several finalization deadlines and remains unfinished due to uncertainty over the US Supreme Court’s decision to strike down Trump’s “Liberation Day tariffs”.
On Wednesday (May 6, 2026), the US government announced that the investments pledged by Indian businesses during “Select USA” were the largest of any country in 2026.
“The historic technology, manufacturing and pharmaceutical deals announced today have unleashed over $20.5 billion in investment. This is a record-breaking moment,” the US State Department said in a statement on social media.
Published – 07 May 2026 02:28 IST
