United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrived in Kolkata on Saturday, 23 May 2026, on his first official visit to India, beginning a trip that will later take him to New Delhi. The visit comes as India and the United States continue efforts to strengthen cooperation in trade, defence, technology and global security, while both countries place emphasis on deepening their strategic partnership.
Rubio began his India visit in Kolkata and departed for New Delhi after attending a programme in the city. According to sources, he is scheduled to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday evening. He is also expected to hold bilateral talks with India’s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar. The discussions are expected to cover several strategic and economic issues between the two countries.
The United States Ambassador to India and a special envoy confirmed that discussions during the meeting between Modi and Rubio are expected to include trade and investment, defence cooperation, technology partnership, energy security and cooperation under the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue.
Rubio will also participate in the meeting of QUAD foreign ministers scheduled to be held in New Delhi on Tuesday. Discussions at the meeting are expected to focus on security in the Indo-Pacific region, maritime cooperation and global stability. According to experts, the QUAD grouping seeks to maintain regional balance and strengthen economic and security cooperation.
On Sunday, Rubio and Jaishankar are scheduled to hold bilateral talks focused on expanding cooperation in energy, trade, investment and critical technology sectors. The two leaders are also expected to discuss global geopolitical issues, including the situation in West Asia and its impact on energy supplies.
