Trump could visit India next year…look forward to setting (it) up: Rubio

India was due to host the Quad leaders’ summit last year. Trump dropped his plans to visit India, marking a period of strained diplomatic relations amid punitive tariffs, visa curbs, and Trump’s claims of resolving a border conflict with Pakistan.

“We look forward to re-engaging again in another Quad meeting very soon, and I look forward to returning before the end of the year and setting up a presidential visit in the early parts of next year,” Rubio said.

Earlier this month, on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in Evian, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Trump held a bilateral meeting, marking their first face-to-face interaction in 16 months, where the two leaders discussed the India-US COMPACT, the US-Iran peace agreement, and ongoing discussions over the bilateral trade agreement.

While the US extended an invitation for Modi to visit the US, Trump had also promised to visit India, saying the trip would take place “sometime in the future.”

A reciprocal visit by the US president has been a sticky diplomatic issue after PM Modi made a state visit to the US in February last year, soon after Trump’s inauguration for his second term. Trump had last visited India in February 2020, during his first term.

Rubio also spoke about India and the US working together to address energy concerns amid the West Asia crisis. “India has been focused for a very long time on diversifying its sources of energy and so that trend will continue and we certainly would love to be a part of that,” he said. “We think we have some solutions in that regard. But beyond that I would say that one of the reasons why the President has given peace a chance in the Middle East is the desire to see more fuel enter the marketplace for our allies.”

“But I think the long-term solution really is to diversify their supplies and I know India has been talking to not just the United States, but in Venezuela, we’re working very closely to increase their production capacity. I think they could serve…India is one of the few countries in the world with their ability to refine the heavy crude that Venezuela produces. So I think that’s a thing we look to facilitate as well,” he told IANS.

Venezuela has rapidly re-emerged as a vital crude oil supplier for India, overtaking major traditional exporters like Saudi Arabia. Driven by the need to diversify away from Gulf routes and supply disruptions, Indian refiners resumed large-scale purchases of Venezuelan heavy crude.

Rubio underlined the common links. “It’s the largest democracy in the world and the oldest democracy in the world. We have so much aligned and in common that we can build and work on together, our interests — on economics, on supply chains, on critical minerals, on energy, on security, on the freedom of navigation. These are all issues that bind us together. I have a very strong Indian-American community as well, which is an additional link between our countries,” he said.

Soon after the Modi-Trump meet at Evian earlier this month, US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer had visited India, to finalise the interim trade agreement. Also talking to IANS on the trade deal, US Ambassador Sergio Gor said, “A lot of it is, the language has to be written. I was in those meetings 48 hours ago with Greer in Delhi, and we met with Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal, who is a great friend of mine. It was very productive.”

Gor, who is in Washington, said, “There are a handful of issues that remain. A lot of it now is on the language that ultimately both sides will sign. We are confident that over the next few weeks and months, it will get done.”

Gor also spoke about Trump’s visit to India in the interview. “I don’t have exact dates yet, but I just left the President. I was with him for several hours in the Oval Office… and one of the things the President asked about is, so when am I coming?,” Gor said. “And so, he’s very keen to come. The Prime Minister invited him, and so I think that will happen at some point.”

Asked about the arc of India-US relations since he first arrived in India, Gor said, “One of the biggest anchors of this relationship is the bond between the President and the Prime Minister. That relationship has always remained strong. Sometimes the media likes to portray it as if something has happened, but the President and the Prime Minister are great friends. That friendship goes back years and will continue for years to come. Every time the two speak, great things happen.”

“Since arriving in India, my goal has been to ensure that both sides remain in regular contact, keep moving the relationship forward, and identify win-win opportunities for both our countries,” he said, adding, I’m doing my best. I care about this relationship. I wanted to be in India, and we have an incredible President here who is very receptive and very open, so that makes my job easier…”

On concerns in India over the H-1B visa process and the reported increase in hate crimes in the US, Gor said, “this is not targeted at India.”

“The United States had to take stock of the whole immigration system, every kind of visa. Unfortunately, under previous administrations, our borders were wide open. That’s something the President wanted to fix on day one. It’s actually something the Prime Minister (Modi) relates to. When I listen to the Prime Minister speaking in India, he talks about no illegal migrants. We 100% agree with that. And so, none of this is targeted at India necessarily. It’s one of the things that we needed to take stock of.”