Rubio in News18 Interview: India Trade Deal Down to Technical Details, Weeks Not Months
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, visiting India, said in an interview with Network18 Editor-in-Chief Rahul Joshi in Mumbai on October 20 that a U.S.-India trade agreement is "incredibly close," with negotiations down to technical details and a timeline of "weeks, not months." He stressed that both sides must agree on the final language before any deal is announced.
On sanctions against countries buying Russian oil, Rubio said sanctions have consequences and that the Trump administration must balance pressure over the war in Ukraine with wider economic and national-security interests. President Trump last Friday waived the related tariff penalties on buyers of Russian oil, and Washington will enter a 60-day assessment period.
On October 21, Rubio is scheduled to travel to Jamnagar, Gujarat, to tour Reliance Industries' refinery complex and meet its chairman, Mukesh Ambani. He said Washington will talk with Reliance about refining more Venezuelan crude: "India is a refining superpower. They have the ability to do that. They have companies that know how to do that." He added that sanctions and other impediments will have to be worked through, and that Indian companies' pre-existing oil concessions in Venezuela could also produce more.
The interview also covered the Quad, Pakistan and counterterrorism. Rubio said he hopes a Quad leaders' summit can be held this year; Indian media have reported that the four nations are exploring holding it on the sidelines of the ASEAN summit in Manila on November 16-18. Earlier in the day, Rubio met Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar in Mumbai to discuss energy security and defense cooperation.
Related:
Rubio Meets India's Foreign Minister in Mumbai, Says U.S.-India Trade Deal Is "Very, Very Close"
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：国务卿卢比奥（中）与美国驻印度大使 Sergio Gor（左）（资料图）。Gage Skidmore 摄，CC BY-SA 4.0 授权图片，经 Wikimedia Commons 发布／Secretary of State Marco Rubio (center) with U.S. Ambassador to India Sergio Gor (left) (file photo). Photo: Gage Skidmore, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
