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Jaishankar Defends Rubio Mumbai Meeting After Gandhi “Summoning” Claim

By Drooid · Oct 23, 2026, 10:10 AM UTC · How we work

Summary

Jaishankar Defends Meeting

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar defended his meeting with U.S. Secretary Marco Rubio in Mumbai.
Jaishankar said he “failed to get” criticism.
Rahul Gandhi called the visit a “summoning” and asked Prime Minister Modi to explain it on X on October 16.
Jaishankar cited Indira Gandhi’s 1972 Shimla meeting and Salman Khurshid’s 2013 Jaipur lunch with Pakistani leaders as precedent.
The U.S. Mission said Rubio visited Mumbai and Jamnagar Oct 20-22 to advance the partnership.

Summary

Rubio Pushes US-India Trade

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) said the U.S.-India trade pact is “very, very close,” with few items left.
Rubio urged India to boost purchases of U.S. energy to meet a $500 billion target by 2030.
India still gets 44% of crude from Russia, while U.S. oil accounts for only 5.1% of its imports.
Rubio said a tariff bill could levy up to 100% duties on Indian imports tied to Russian oil.

History

Historical Context

In 1992 India began investing abroad, marking the start of economic ties that grew to $119.42 billion in bilateral goods trade in 2021-22. By 2026 the United States and India negotiated a new trade pact linking reduced tariffs to India’s pledge to curb Russian oil purchases. Meeting in Mumbai, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and Senator Marco Rubio invoked that legacy while pursuing a far larger deal.

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Jaishankar Defends Meeting

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar defended his meeting with U.S. Secretary Marco Rubio in Mumbai.
Jaishankar said he “failed to get” criticism.
Rahul Gandhi called the visit a “summoning” and asked Prime Minister Modi to explain it on X on October 16.
Jaishankar cited Indira Gandhi’s 1972 Shimla meeting and Salman Khurshid’s 2013 Jaipur lunch with Pakistani leaders as precedent.
The U.S. Mission said Rubio visited Mumbai and Jamnagar Oct 20-22 to advance the partnership.

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