Union external affairs minister S Jaishankar met US secretary of state Marco Rubio in New York on Monday and discussed a range of bilateral and international issues of “current concern”, the meeting coming days after the US slapped a steep fee on the popular H-1B visas.
External affairs minister S Jaishankar with US secretary of state Marco Rubio at the sidelines of the 80th United Nations General Assembly on Monday. (AP)
The meeting at Lotte New York Palace on the sidelines of the 80th session of the UN General Assembly is the first face-to-face interaction between them following President Donald Trump’s imposition of an additional 25% tariff on India for purchases of Russian oil, taking the total levies to 50%.
“Good to meet @SecRubio this morning in New York. Our conversation covered a range of bilateral and international issues of current concern. Agreed on the importance of sustained engagement to progress on priority areas. We will remain in touch,” Jaishankar said on X. Jaishankar also met Sergio Gor, Trump’s pick for Washington’s India ambassador.
The meetings came on a day Union commerce minister Piyush Goyal met United State Trade Representative Jamieson Greer in New York in an effort to accelerate trade talks between the two countries. People aware of the talks said that both sides were hopeful that the meeting would yield a positive breakthrough, and help New Delhi and Washington reach a trade deal.
They added that both Greer and Goyal were keen to build on the momentum established by the recent positive interactions between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump.
Together, the visits of the two senior ministers underlined a significant outreach between the two countries that have traditionally been partners but have recently suffered a downturn in ties amid an escalation in criticism by Trump administration officials over India’s purchases of Russian oil..
Jaishankar, who arrived in New York on Sunday for the high-level UNGA week, will hold a series of bilateral and multilateral meetings on the sidelines of the session and will deliver the national statement at the General Debate on September 27 from the iconic green UNGA podium. Jaishankar and Rubio had last met in July in Washington DC for the Quad Foreign Ministers’ Meeting.
The talks between Goyal and Greer mark the third time the two men have met this year, after earlier encounters in March and May. India was among the first nations to begin talks for a free trade agreement with the US in February this year and engaged in five rounds of negotiations between March and July. But talks ran into difficulty over market access for US agricultural products, tariff reciprocity issues and unresolved cases at the World Trade Organisation.
Trade negotiations then came to an abrupt halt in August 2025 after a scheduled visit by an American delegation was unexpectedly called off. Trump imposed a punitive 25% tariff on Indian imports over the Russian oil trade, in addition to a 25% baseline tariff, and condemned New Delhi’s tariff regime. New Delhi said the US tariffs were unreasonable and unjustified.
Despite the trade deadlock, both sides remained engaged in talks. The bilateral relationship improved markedly in September when both Trump and Modi made positive statements about the relationship. Trump subsequently announced a renewal of trade talks with India. Sergio Gor stated recently that the two sides will likely reach a deal in a few weeks. Goyal also expressed the hope that a deal would be concluded by November.
“The delegation plans to take forward the discussions with a view to achieving early conclusion of a mutually beneficial Trade Agreement,” the ministry of commerce and industry said in a statement on Saturday. The statement added that during the last visit of officials from the office of the US Trade Representative to India on September 16, positive discussions were held on various aspects of the trade deal, and it was decided to intensify efforts in this regard.
The meetings come just days after Trump announced a $100,000 application fee on the H-1B visa programme. On Sunday, the White House issued a string of clarifications on the announcement, including that the $100,000 fee will not be an annual charge and applies only to new applications in upcoming lottery cycles.
Over 70% of approved H-1B visas go to Indian professionals, making them disproportionately affected by the fee hike. Indian companies including Infosys and Tata Consultancy Services rank among the programme’s top sponsors. The visa pathway has allowed foreign workers to join American companies since 1990, creating a pipeline that built much of Silicon Valley’s workforce but which Trump’s administration argues displaces American workers.