India-US trade deal nears finalization, says Marco Rubio
India and the United States are close to finalizing a bilateral trade agreement, with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stating that only a few aspects remain to be completed and that a deal could be signed soon. Rubio met with Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar in Mumbai on Tuesday to discuss expanding cooperation in energy, defense, and technology. Rubio encouraged India to increase imports of US energy and purchase more American defense systems, as the US aims for a $500 billion trade target by 2030. The talks come amid tensions over US tariffs and India's crude oil purchases from Russia. Rubio also discussed India's potential role in refining Venezuelan crude oil and noted that India has made significant progress in diversifying its energy sources.