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External Affairs Minister Dr. S Jaishankar on Monday met with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in New York, on the sidelines of the 80th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA). This was their first face-to-face meeting since trade tensions between India and the United States escalated. The stress on the relations arose after US President Donald Trump imposed tariffs on India, citing Delhi’s continued purchase of Russian oil.
In the video clip, Jaishankar and Rubio warmly shook hands as they met on the UNGA session sidelines. As per ANI, the meeting is part of a continuing effort to strengthen India-US ties.
#WATCH | New York: External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar meets US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, on the sidelines of the 80th UN General Assembly (UNGA) session. pic.twitter.com/BPoTm5Udfi
— ANI (@ANI) September 22, 2025
Trump imposed 25 per cent tariffs on Indian goods in July amid trade talks between the two countries and later imposed an additional 25 per cent tariff.
India-US Trade Talks
The countries have resumed talks for a mutually beneficial Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA).
India and the US are working towards concluding a trade agreement, with Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal leading a delegation for talks in Washington.
According to a release from the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, “positive discussions were held” during the September 16 visit of officials from the Office of the United States Trade Representative to India, and both sides agreed to intensify efforts towards finalising a deal.
Trump recently expressed confidence that they would face “no difficulty” in arriving at a deal.
Trump’s H-1B Visa Fee Hike
Amid trade tensions, the Trump administration’s move to hike the fees of the H-1B visa has also sparked confusion and concern among Indians in the US.
Earlier, the US President signed an executive order imposing a USD 1,00,000 fee on visas for skilled tech workers. The White House later clarified that the fee only applies to new applicants and not to current visa holders.
India-US Relations
Earlier this month, as per ANI, during the Senate confirmation hearing for Sergio Gor, Trump’s nominee for US Ambassador to India, Rubio described India as “one of the top relationships that the US has in the world today.
“Rubio, who had appeared before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to introduce Gor, underscored the pivotal role of India in shaping the global future, particularly in the Indo-Pacific region, highlighting that India was at the “core of that”.
Jaishankar-Rubio Meet
According to IANS, this marks the third in-person meeting between the two leaders this year. Their last interaction took place on July 1 during the Quad Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Washington.
Before that, Jaishankar had met Rubio in January, just days after the latter assumed office.
(with agencies’ inputs)