Ranit Kr. Singh , New Delhi — US Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday during his first official visit to India, extending an invitation on behalf of US President Donald Trump for Modi to visit the White House. The high-profile visit comes ahead of the upcoming Quad foreign ministers' meeting in New Delhi on May 26 and underscores the growing strategic convergence between the two nations. Rubio, who is the first top American diplomat to visit Kolkata in 14 years, began his trip by visiting the Mother House there before flying to the capital for his meeting with Prime Minister Modi.

The top US diplomat is scheduled to hold wide-ranging bilateral talks with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Sunday before participating in Tuesday's Quad meeting. These discussions are viewed as a crucial effort to maintain momentum in the India-US partnership amid reshaping global priorities, conflicts, and trade tensions. Describing India as a key partner for Washington, Rubio and Indian officials are expected to navigate complex strategic issues, including the economic implications of the ongoing US-Iran conflict and its impact on global energy supplies.

Trade and tariff concerns are also highly likely to feature prominently during the bilateral discussions. The high-level engagement aims to stabilize and strengthen bilateral cooperation despite existing differences over recent US tariffs on India. Following his official engagements in New Delhi, the US State Secretary's itinerary also includes travel to Agra and Jaipur before concluding his visit.