What happened:
On February 3, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar held separate meetings with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent in Washington, discussing trade, energy, defence, critical minerals, technology, and regional issues. Both sides agreed to fast-track follow-up mechanisms, with a focus on strengthening economic and strategic cooperation.
Why it matters:
The engagements reflect growing momentum in India–US ties, highlighting critical minerals and economic coordination as shared priorities. They also reaffirm the partnership’s importance for Indo-Pacific stability, supply chain resilience, and broader multilateral cooperation.