Indian premier, top US diplomat discuss deepening bilateral ties in New Delhi meeting

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi discussed deepening bilateral ties in the national capital New Delhi on Saturday.

Rubio arrived in India early Saturday for his four-day trip to the South Asian nation.

"We had a productive discussion on ways to deepen U.S.-India cooperation across security, trade, and critical technologies - areas that strengthen both our nations and advance a free and open Indo-Pacific," US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor, who also joined the meeting, said through the US social media company X,

Gor added: "India is a vital partner to the United States!"

Earlier on Saturday, after landing in the city of Kolkata, Rubio visited the Missionaries of Charity, founded by Mother Teresa.

Rubio wrote on X that Mother Teresa left a "tremendous legacy of compassion and service."

"I was honored to visit the Missionaries of Charity today to pay homage to her legacy and to see the living example of the Catholic faith in action," he said.

It is Rubio's first trip to India, which will also include stops in the cities of Agra and Jaipur.

The top US diplomat is scheduled to hold talks with his Indian counterpart S. Jaishankar on Sunday and will participate in the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, commonly known as the Quad, next week.

The Quad, a partnership among the US, Australia, India, and Japan, was formed in 2007. The last Quad leaders summit was held in the US in 2024.

A US State Department statement ahead of the visit said the secretary will discuss "energy security, trade, and defense cooperation during meetings with senior Indian officials."

In February, India and the US reached a framework for an interim agreement on trade to lower tariffs on Indian goods to 18% from 50%, half of which were linked India's buying of Russian oil.