Marco Rubio to visit India from May 23-26 to further cooperation in fields of trade, defence and energy

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.

The so-called Quad security alliance is seen as a counterweight to Beijing's presence in the Indian Ocean and wider Asia-Pacific region.

The four-way partnership was first conceived by late Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe, who foresaw an alliance of democracies surrounding China -- which has repeatedly alleged that the Quad is a way to contain it.

Rubio hosted Quad counterparts in July 2025, when they established a Quad "Critical Minerals Initiative" aimed at securing and diversifying supply chains, as worries grow over China's dominance in resources vital to new technologies.

China holds major reserves of several key minerals including the vast majority of the world's graphite, which is crucial for electric vehicles.

Despite common ground on China, the members have differed on other hotspots, including the Russia-Ukraine war and the attacks in Iran.

India hosted foreign ministers of BRICS nations last week, with those attending including Iran's Abbas Araghchi and Russia's Sergei Lavrov.