Rubio to visit India for bilateral talks; Quad Foreign Ministers’ meeting May-end

During the visit, which is expected to strengthen India-US relations, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will visit India for bilateral talks and attend the Australia-India-Japan-US Quadrilateral Foreign Ministers’ Meeting (FMM). Commenting on the visit on Wednesday, May 6, 2026, US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor said he hoped to welcome Mr. Rubio to India “soon”. Sources told Hindu Mr Rubio is expected to be in Delhi for a three-day visit from May 24 to 26, his first since taking office as US Secretary of State last January.

“The United States deeply values ​​our growing partnership with India, and we are excited to build stronger ties that will benefit both our nations and the world,” Mr. Gor, who is also US President Donald Trump’s Special Envoy for South and Central Asia, said in a post. “See you soon, Mr. Secretary!” he added.

In a separate post after meeting Delhi Lieutenant Governor Taranjit Singh Sandhu, Mr. Gor also announced that many US Governors will visit India in the coming months.

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public reception

Mr. Rubio’s visit will include a public reception in Delhi on May 24 to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the United States Declaration of Independence. He will hold talks with External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and appeal to Prime Minister Narendra Modi in talks that are expected to determine the course of India-US relations following the ups and downs on tariffs and sanctions, as well as the fallout from the war in West Asia. On Tuesday, May 5, 2026, Mr. Rubio announced that the US operations against Iran, which started on February 28, “have ended” and that naval operations to forcibly open the Strait of Hormuz from Iranian control have been “paused” while US-Iran talks continue.

On May 26, Mr. Rubio and Mr. Jaishankar will be joined by Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong and Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi for the Quad FMM. Mr Motegi and Ms Wong have visited Delhi in the past few months and are expected to travel to India only for the Quad talks. The visit of the US Secretary of State will take place after US President Mr. Trump’s visit to Beijing, which is tentatively expected to be held on May 14-15, and Mr. Rubio is expected to inform his Quad counterparts about the results of this visit. All eyes will be on whether the Quad meeting will agree on a date for the Summit, which the government hopes to hold later this year after failing to host it for the past two years. In particular, Mr. Trump’s visit to India, as he faces midterm elections in November, will play a key role in planning the Summit.

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Indian and US officials are also expected to review progress on the Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA) during Mr. Rubio’s visit. Although a tentative deal was announced by Mr Trump and Mr Modi after a phone call in February this year, many final finalization deadlines were missed and remained incomplete due to uncertainty over the US Supreme Court’s decision to strike down Mr Trump’s “liberation day tariffs”.

On Wednesday, May 6, 2026, the US government announced that the investments promised by Indian businesses during ‘Choosing US’ are the largest investments made by any country in 2026.

“The historic agreements in the technology, manufacturing and pharmaceutical sectors announced today have unlocked over $20.5 billion in investment. This is a record-breaking moment,” the US State Department said in a statement on social media.