Rubio in Mumbai: US Asks India to Buy More American Energy and Defence Equipment
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio held talks with India's External Affairs Minister in Mumbai on 20 October 2026. This was his second visit to India this year. The India leg of his trip (17 to 22 October) covered Mumbai and Jamnagar in Gujarat, not New Delhi.
The US asked India to buy more American energy (crude oil, gas) and more US defence equipment. The talks covered energy security, defence trade, technology transfer and co-production (making weapons together in India), trade and investment, and critical and emerging technologies.
The US side noted that India has reduced its dependence on cheap Russian crude oil, but said such a change cannot happen overnight. The US presented itself as a reliable long-term energy supplier. A meeting with the UAE Foreign Minister on regional energy security was also held in Mumbai.
On trade, Rubio said the two countries are "very, very close" to a bilateral trade deal, with only a few points left. Under an interim framework agreed in February 2026, the US had already cut its tariff (import tax) on most Indian goods to 18%, down from the 50% imposed in August 2025.
Rubio described an "extraordinary alignment" between India and the US on core interests, such as a free and open Indo-Pacific where no single country controls sea trade routes. He also acknowledged that the two sides will sometimes disagree.
The schedule included a visit to Reliance Industries' Jamnagar refinery, the world's largest refining complex at a single site, and meetings with Indian business leaders in Mumbai.
India-US Major Defence Partnership (MDP): Foundational Agreements and the 2025 Framework
The India-US Major Defence Partnership is the special defence relationship between India and the United States. In 2016, the US gave India the title of "Major Defence Partner". This status is unique to India. It means the US treats India almost like its closest allies when it comes to selling weapons and sharing defence technology, even though India is not in any military alliance with the US.
During his Mumbai visit, the US Secretary of State asked India to buy more US defence equipment and to deepen co-production. The talks build on the 10-year Major Defence Partnership framework signed in October 2025. They show that the US sees defence sales as a key pillar of the relationship, even while trade and Russian oil issues are being worked out.
India-US Energy Cooperation: LNG, Crude, and the Strategic Dimension
India-US energy cooperation is the partnership under which India buys American oil and gas and the two countries work together on clean energy and energy investments. India imports most of the crude oil it uses, while the US has become one of the world's biggest producers of oil and gas. So the US can be a large, steady supplier for India. Buying more US energy also helps India reduce its trade surplus with the US, which Washington wants.
Rubio framed his visit around energy security and said the US can be a key long-term supplier as India diversifies away from Russian crude. His visit to the Jamnagar refinery and the trilateral energy talk with the UAE show that energy is now a central pillar of India-US ties.
India-US Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA)
The India-US Bilateral Trade Agreement is a trade deal the two countries are negotiating. Its aim is to make it cheaper and easier for each to sell goods and services to the other, by cutting tariffs (import taxes) and removing other trade barriers. It is being done in stages, starting with a first part, or "tranche". In February 2026, the two sides agreed an interim framework as a step towards the full deal.
Rubio said the two sides are "very, very close" to a trade deal. More Indian purchases of US energy and defence goods would help reduce India's trade surplus with the US, which is one of Washington's main goals in these talks.
- Rubio's India visit: 17 to 22 October 2026 (Mumbai and Jamnagar); talks in Mumbai on 20 October 2026
- US tariff on most Indian goods: 50% (August 2025) → 18% (interim framework, February 2026)
- Interim framework: India to buy US$ 500 billion of US goods (energy, aircraft, technology, coking coal) over five years
- India designated US "Major Defence Partner": June 2016 (unique status)
- 10-year Framework for the US-India Major Defence Partnership: signed 31 October 2025, Kuala Lumpur
- Four foundational agreements: GSOMIA 2002, LEMOA 2016, COMCASA 2018, BECA 2020
- India's crude imports from the US: about 237,000 barrels per day in 2025
- Jamnagar refinery (Reliance Industries, Gujarat): world's largest single-site refining complex