Kolkata: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio touched down in Kolkata on Saturday morning, beginning a four‑day diplomatic visit to India that will last four days and wind up on May 26. His arrival ends a 14‑year gap since a US secretary of state last visited the eastern city, when Hillary Clinton came in May 2012, reports said.
Rubio’s Kolkata stop comes weeks after West Bengal saw a landmark political change, with a BJP-led government taking office. In the city he will visit Mother House, the headquarters of the Missionaries of Charity founded by Mother Teresa.
In a post on X, US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor said: “Secretary Marco Rubio has landed in Kolkata. This is his first trip to India. Later today, we will call on Prime Minister @narendramodi in New Delhi. Trade, Technology, Defense, QUAD, and many other items to discuss and advance over the next few days!”
Delhi Meeting, Wider India Tour
The State Department said Rubio will fly to New Delhi later on Saturday to mee
t Prime Minister Narendra Modi. His India schedule (May 23–26) also includes Agra and Jaipur and is seen as diplomatically significant ahead of energy negotiations and a Quad ministers’ meeting.
Quad Ministers To Meet
A Quad foreign ministers’ meeting is scheduled for May 26 and will include Rubio, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong and Japanese Foreign Minister Motegi Toshimitsu, with Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar presiding.
US Pushes Energy Sales To India
Addressing energy ties, Rubio said the US wants to expand supplies to India. He told reporters in Miami before the trips to Sweden and India: “Well, we want to sell them as much energy as they’ll buy. And obviously, you’ve seen I think we’re at historic levels of US production, and US export.”
He described the move as part of the Trump administration’s push to increase US energy’s share of India’s imports: “We want to be able to do more. We were already in talks with them to do more. We want them to be a bigger part of their portfolio.”
Rubio argued the move could help address the bilateral trade deficit that has favoured India. A BBC report, citing analysts, said it may not be logical for India to plug its current import shortfall with US supplies.
Rubio called India a “great partner” and said he was looking forward to meeting ministers from the Quad nations in the days ahead.