US Secretary of State Marco Rubio to visit India, Uzbekistan from October 17-22, energy cooperation on agenda

This will be Rubio's second visit to India since May, when he attended the Quad Foreign Ministers' meeting hosted by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar in New Delhi

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will visit India and Uzbekistan from October 17 to 22 to strengthen strategic and economic ties, with energy cooperation, commercial investment and regional security among the key issues on the agenda, the US Department of State said.

Rubio will travel to Samarkand in Uzbekistan before visiting Mumbai and Jamnagar in India. The trip will also include engagements with senior officials from five Central Asian countries and a delegation of more than 200 US business leaders.

Rubio to discuss energy cooperation with India

During his India visit, Rubio will meet senior government officials to strengthen the US-India strategic partnership and discuss regional and global developments.

"He will meet with senior government officials to strengthen the US-India strategic partnership, exchange views on regional and global dynamics, and discuss prospects for enhanced energy cooperation," the State Department said.

Rubio will also meet business leaders to promote commercial investment and economic cooperation. This will be his second visit to India since May, when he attended the Quad Foreign Ministers' meeting hosted by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar in New Delhi.

His visit comes amid renewed challenges in bilateral ties. Efforts to finalise a bilateral trade agreement have stalled, while disagreements over US President Donald Trump's claims of brokering an India-Pakistan ceasefire and a US military attack on a ship off Oman that killed three Indian seafarers have added to tensions.

New Delhi has also expressed concerns over US legislation that allows Trump to impose tariffs of up to 100 per cent on countries purchasing Russian energy. India briefly reduced its Russian oil purchases in early 2026, but imports have since increased, particularly following the supply shock triggered by the US-Israeli war on Iran.

The visit also comes amid protests in India over the removal of 130 million voters from electoral rolls. Washington has not commented on the demonstrations so far.

Jamnagar visit in focus

Rubio's planned visit to Jamnagar is significant because the Gujarat city houses Reliance Industries' refinery, the world's largest single-site refining facility, with a capacity to process 1.4 million barrels of crude oil per day.

In March, Trump announced that the US would build its first refinery in 50 years with investment from Reliance Industries. The proposed refinery in Brownsville, Texas, is expected to cost USD 300 billion, Trump said.

Rubio to lead US business delegation in Uzbekistan

In Samarkand, Rubio will participate in the C5+1 Ministerial, which brings together the US and five Central Asian countries to promote strategic cooperation.

He will also hold bilateral engagements with senior officials from Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and the Kyrgyz Republic.

A US commercial delegation comprising more than 200 business leaders will accompany Rubio to promote investment and economic cooperation with Central Asia, the State Department said.