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US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will undertake a four-day visit to India beginning May 23 to further cooperation in the fields of trade, defence and energy. The Department of State announced the visit that would take Rubio to Kolkata, Agrat, Jaipur and New Delhi. "Secretary Rubio will travel to India from May 23-26, where he will visit Kolkata, Agra, Jaipur, and New Delhi," State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott said. The Secretary will discuss energy, security, trade, and defence cooperation during meetings with senior Indian officials, Pigott said. Rubio will travel to India from Sweden, where he will attend the NATO Foreign Ministers meeting on May 22. India is set to host a meeting of Quad foreign ministers next week that is expected to deliberate on pressing global challenges, including the fallout of the West Asia crisis. The New Delhi meeting is planned for May 26, and it is scheduled to be attended by Rubio, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong and Japanese Foreign .
India's economic transformation since 2014 has been the anchor point of its expanding engagement with the US, Indian envoy to the US Vinay Mohan Kwatra said here. Addressing the Capitol Hill Summit 2026 organised by the US-India Friendship Council here on Monday, Kwatra said the passage of the SHANTI Act has unlocked opportunities for private sector collaboration in the civil nuclear power domain. "One of the drivers, I must point out, is a set of transformational journeys that are currently taking place in India," he said, addressing the conference that was attended by US lawmakers, including Ro Khanna, Deborah Ross, Tim Moore and Senator Steve Daines. Kwatra said India and the US had set a target to increase bilateral trade from approximately USD 220 billion annually to USD 500 billion by 2030. He said defence and security cooperation was one of the fastest-growing pillars of the India-US partnership, and New Delhi was the largest user of some American platforms outside the ...
The US has approved the possible sale of support services and related equipment for Apache helicopters to India for an estimated cost of USD 198.2 billion, the US Department of State said. The Department of State also approved a possible sale of sustainment support for M777A2 Ultra-Light Howitzers for an estimated cost of USD 230 million. The principal contractors for the Apache support services deal will be the Boeing Company and Lockheed Martin, the State Department said. For the howitzers support, the principal contractor will be BAE Systems, located in Cumbria, UK. The Department of State said India has requested to buy AH-64E Apache sustainment support services; US Government and contractor engineering, technical, and logistics support services; technical data and publications; personnel training; and other related elements of logistics and program support. India had also requested to buy long-term sustainment support for M777A2 Ultra-Light Howitzers. The following non-major
India and the US must be guided by the principles of openness and avoid any dependencies on adversarial nations to fully realise the potential of areas such as artificial intelligence, a senior US official said here on Friday. Addressing the US-India AI and Emerging Technology Forum, US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Bethany Morrison said the US wants to make sure that countries in the region have access to world-class technology and get that integrated into society to deliver the best value and results for their people. "But in order to fully realise the benefits of this incredible technology, we must be guided by the principles of openness, as well as focus on our security and our interoperability, and avoid any dependencies on adversarial nations," Morrison said at the event organised by the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum, ORF America and the Motwani Jadeja Foundation. She said the private sector has already invested more than USD 300 billion in the development of AI .
Quantum technologies, artificial intelligence and nuclear science are among the next frontier areas of cooperation for India and the US, India's Ambassador to the US Vinay Mohan Kwatra has said. Speaking at an interactive session at the US-India AI and Emerging Technology Forum here on Friday, Kwatra flagged nuclear fusion as an area of cooperation between the two countries, in addition to the conventional fission technologies used in civil nuclear power projects across the world. India and the US are part of the international nuclear fusion research experiment to build a fusion reactor near Cadarache in France. The International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) has the European Union and eight countries, including the US, Russia, India and China as members. "I would even single out nuclear here because there are parts of nuclear which are of course old and established, but there are parts which are emerging, nuclear fusion in particular," Kwatra said at the forum organised
The following is the chronology of additional or reciprocal tariffs imposed by the US on Indian goods in addition to existing duties, since April 2025. Before Apr 2, 2025: Only MFN (most favoured nation) tariffs. These are standard import duties imposed on goods from all trading partners on a non-discriminatory basis. Apr 2 - August 6, 2025: 26 per cent (10 per cent baseline tariff and 16 per cent reciprocal tariff). It was over and above MFN duties. Apr 9, 2025: US suspends tariffs for 90 days (until July 9, 2025). July 31, 2025: The US announced a 25 per cent duty to be effective from August 7, 2025. Aug 6, 2025: Additional 25 pc tariff imposed on Indian goods for the purchase of Russian oil. To be effective from August 27. Aug 7- Aug 26, 2025: 25 per cent reciprocal tariffs, over and above MFN duties. Aug 27, 2025 - Feb 6, 2026: 50 per cent tariff on Indian goods Feb 7 - Feb 23, 2026: Russia-linked 25 per cent tariffs withdrawn. A joint India-US statement indicated Washingto
Foreign direct investment from India to the United States was approximately USD 16.4 billion, which supported about 70,800 jobs, a senior US official said. Addressing a CII India Reception on the sidelines of the SelectUSA Investment Summit at National Harbour in Maryland on Monday evening, US Deputy Undersecretary (Policy and International Trade Administration) in the Department of Commerce, Brandon Remington, said Indian firms also spent USD 330 million on research and development in America. "We are pleased to welcome your investment from India. According to available cumulative data, the total stock of foreign direct investment from India to the United States was approximately USD 16.4 billion, which supported approximately 70,800 jobs, USD 313 million in research and development spending and USD 1.5 billion worth of exports," Remington said, without any reference to the period under review. A CII report released in 2023 had pegged Indian investments in the US in the range of US
The US has returned 657 antiquities collectively valued at nearly USD 14 million to India, saying there is "more work to be done" to return stolen artifacts to the country. The return was announced by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg on Tuesday. The pieces were recovered following several investigations into trafficking networks, including those related to disgraced art dealer Subhash Kapoor and convicted trafficker Nancy Wiener. The pieces were returned at an event attended by Consul Rajlakshmi Kadam from the Consulate General of India in New York. "The scale of the trafficking networks that targeted cultural heritage in India is massive, as demonstrated by the return of more than 600 pieces today," Bragg said in a statement. "There is unfortunately more work to be done to return stolen artifacts back to India, and I thank our team for their persistent efforts." Consul General of India in New York, Binaya Pradhan, appreciated the sustained cooperation of the Manhattan Dist
India's Ambassador to the US Vinay Mohan Kwatra on Friday met US Energy Secretary Chris Wright and discussed the energy partnership between the two countries. Kwatra received Wright and his wife Liz at the India House here. "Honoured to host @SecretaryWright and Mrs. Wright at India House. Productive conversation on a range of subjects including the India-US energy partnership," Kwatra said in a post on X. The US is keen to cooperate with India on civil nuclear cooperation in addition to other areas, such as coal gasification and US LPG exports. India has increased its energy imports from the US over the past year amid trade pact negotiations with Washington. India is the largest buyer of US coal globally with coking coal contributing 40 per cent of the total 20 million tonnes (mt) of coal imported by New Delhi from the US in FY25. Earlier this week, GAIL (India) Limited flagged off an LNG vessel from a US terminal, signalling deeper India-US cooperation in securing cleaner fuel
India is a "tough nut to crack", US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said here as a delegation from New Delhi wrapped up negotiations on the bilateral trade agreement with Washington. The 12-member delegation, led by Darpan Jain, Additional Secretary in the Department of Commerce, held talks on the fine print of the trade deal with the US team led by Brendan Lynch, Assistant USTR for South and Central Asia. The three-day talks concluded on Wednesday. "India is a tough nut to crack... they've protected their agricultural markets for a very long time," Greer told the Committee on Ways and Means of the US Congress on Wednesday. "As part of this deal, they want to protect a lot of that. There are things, though, where I think we can find mutual agreement. DDGs (distillers dried grains) is a good example of this," he said. Greer was responding to questions by lawmakers on exports of DDGs, which are used as high-protein livestock feed, soybean meal and ethanol. The USTR said the US
Indian Ambassador to the US Vinay Mohan Kwatra met US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer and former National Security Adviser Robert O'Brien here. The meeting on Wednesday comes as India and the US are negotiating the finer elements of a bilateral trade agreement (BTA). A delegation of Indian officials is expected to visit the US to hold discussions on the bilateral trade agreement. "Honored to host Amb. Jamieson Greer and Amb. Robert O'Brien at India House today," Kwatra said in a post on X on Wednesday. In February, India and the US announced finalisation of a framework for the first phase of the bilateral trade agreement. According to that framework, the US had agreed to reduce tariffs on India to 18 per cent. "We had productive conversation on a range of bilateral cooperation opportunities. Also discussed important developments across the world. Appreciate their strong and continuing support for strong India-US ties," Kwatra said. Bilateral trade was part of the discussion d
India and the US on Thursday agreed to further their cooperation under Pax Silica and broader economic and technology engagements, including in AI and critical minerals. The issues figured during discussions Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri had here with US Under Secretary of State for Economic Affairs Jacob S Helberg. "Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri had a productive meeting with the US Under Secretary of State for Economic Affairs Jacob Helberg @UnderSecE. They agreed to take forward cooperation under Pax Silica and the broader economic and technology engagements, including in AI and critical minerals," the Indian Embassy in the US said in a post on X. India formally joined Pax Silica on the sidelines of the AI Impact Summit in February, marking a significant step in technology cooperation between New Delhi and Washington. Pax Silica brings strategic partnerships and coordinated action across every layer of the supply chain. Misri is on a three-day visit to the US to review the ...
India's Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri met senior US defence official Michael Duffey and discussed ways to further deepen the defence industrial, technology and supply chain linkages between the two countries. Misri, who is on a three-day visit here, had a "fruitful interaction" with Duffey, the Under Secretary in the Department of Defence for Acquisition and Sustainment at the Pentagon near here. "Foreign Secretary Shri Vikram Misri had a fruitful interaction with the Under Secretary of War for Acquisition & Sustainment Mike Duffey @USDASDuffey at the Pentagon," the Indian Embassy in the US said in a post on X. "The two principals discussed ways to further deepen the defence industrial, technology and supply chain linkages between India and the US, in line with the ambitious goals laid out in the Framework for the bilateral Major Defence Partnership signed last year," the embassy said. Misri also met under secretaries Jeffrey Kessler and William Kimmitt in the Department of ...
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will visit India in the next few months, US Ambassador Sergio Gor said on Friday. The envoy also said that the India-US trade deal is set to be inked soon. Gor also described the Quad coalition as an important grouping for cooperation among its member states. The envoy said India and the US are taking their bilateral ties to the next level. Gor made the remarks on the sidelines of an event at the AI Impact Summit here.
A three-day meeting between Indian and American officials to finalise the legal text for an interim trade agreement will begin in the US on February 23, an official said on Friday. Earlier this month, India and the US released a joint statement to announce that a framework for an interim trade agreement has been finalised. The joint statement lays down the contours of the deal. Now, the contours of the deal have to be translated into a legal agreement, which will be signed between the two sides. It is expected to be signed in March. The Indian and the US team will start their three-day meeting from Monday, the official said. Indian team will be headed by chief negotiator Darpan Jain, who is a joint secretary in the Commerce Ministry. Under the interim trade pact, both sides would extend duty concessions to each other on a number of goods traded between them. The US has announced that it will reduce the reciprocal tariffs on Indian goods from 25 per cent to 18 per cent. It has alr
US Ambassador Sergio Gor and Admiral Samuel J Paparo, commander of the US Indo-Pacific Command, visited the Indian Army's Western Command headquarters on Monday and held discussions with Lieutenant General Manoj Kumar Katiyar on strategic security dynamics along India's Western Front. Gor said the US-India defence partnership continues to grow stronger. He said the joint efforts of the two countries are key to a safe Indo-Pacific. "US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor @USAmbIndia and #USINDOPACOM Commander, Adm Samuel J. Paparo, @sjpaparo visited HQ Western Command and held substantive discussions with Lt Gen #ManojKumarKatiyar, PVSM, UYSM, AVSM, Army Commander, #WesternCommand, on strategic security dynamics along India's Western Front," the Western Command of the Indian Army said in a post on X. The Western Command headquarters is located in Chandimandir in Haryana's Panchkula. The delegation was comprehensively briefed on the Western Front perspective, including operational ...