KUALA LUMPUR — United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with India’s Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar on Monday in Malaysia, as both sides sought to rebuild momentum in trade talks and defuse strains caused by Washington’s recent tariffs and sanctions.
The meeting, held on the sidelines of the ASEAN summit, marked the highest-level contact between the two nations since the US imposed sanctions on Russian oil firms — a move that directly impacts India, one of Moscow’s key oil buyers. Jaishankar later shared a photograph of the meeting on social media, saying he “appreciated the discussion on our bilateral ties as well as regional and global issues.”
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Relations between Washington and New Delhi had cooled after US President Donald Trump raised tariffs on Indian goods to 50 percent, accusing India of indirectly supporting Russia’s war in Ukraine by purchasing discounted crude. The White House has since claimed India halved its Russian oil imports, though Indian officials have not confirmed any such reduction.
Glad to meet @SecRubio this morning in Kuala Lumpur.
Appreciated the discussion on our bilateral ties as well as regional and global issues.
— Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) October 27, 2025
Tensions were further compounded when the US introduced a one-time $100,000 fee on H-1B skilled worker visas, a policy that India said could cause humanitarian and family disruptions. Despite these friction points, both sides appear eager to stabilize ties amid shared interests in the Indo-Pacific region.
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Speaking to reporters, Rubio emphasized that the US’s deepening engagement with Pakistan would not undermine its partnership with India. “We see an opportunity to expand our strategic relationship with Pakistan, but nothing we’re doing comes at the expense of our friendship with India, which remains deep, historic, and important,” he said.