S Jaishankar, Marco Rubio to hold talks in Mumbai tomorrow amid India-US trade deal push: What is on the agenda?

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will hold talks on 20 October.

The meeting in Mumbai will aim at bostering the Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership, with discussions expected to cover energy, trade, defence, critical and emerging technologies and several other key areas of bilateral cooperation, news agency PTI said quoting a government spokesperson.

Before hosting Rubio, Jaishankar will meet deputy prime minister and the foreign minister of the UAE , Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, who is also on an official visit to India.

"On October 19-20, 2026, the external affairs minister will host in Mumbai the deputy prime minister and the foreign minister of the UAE, His Highness Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, for an official visit. On October 20, the external affairs minister will hold talks with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and attend the celebrations of the 250th anniversary of the Independence of the United States as a Guest of Honour," Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said last week.

To review India-US relations

The upcoming visit of Secretary Rubio will provide an opportunity for both sides to review India-US relations and discuss ways to "further strengthen our Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership that we have with the United States," the MEA spokesperson said.

On Monday, 19 October, Rubio launches talks with key Central Asian states before heading to India on a tour to a region with vast natural resources and China as a key competitor.

Rubio arrived in Uzbekistan's Silk Road city of Samarkand late Sunday to prepare for talks with top officials from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and the Uzbek hosts.

The leaders of the five former Soviet republics held talks with US President Donald Trump at the White House in November last year.

At the head of a delegation that includes 200 business executives, Rubio will visit the Samarkand's old city, a historic staging post between China and the West, before starting talks aimed at the modern-day rivalry with China.

Discussions between Rubio and Jaishankar in Mimbai are expected to cover key areas of bilateral cooperation including energy, trade, investment, defence, critical and emerging technologies and other areas of mutual interest, he added.

The two sides will also exchange views on regional and global developments. "The visit will provide an opportunity to sustain the high-level engagement between the two countries and advance our shared priorities," Jaiswal said.

Why Mumbai?

On the meeting taking place in Mumbai, the MEA spokesperson said it has been the practice in the last decade or so that "we have hosted foreign dignitaries outside Delhi".

"To give you some examples, the Prime Minister hosted the Prime Minister of Spain in Baroda (Vadodara). He hosted Chancellor Merz in Ahmedabad. Prime Minister of Mauritius was hosted by him in Varanasi, and then the external affairs minister hosted the foreign ministers' meeting in Goa. He hosted the foreign minister of Botswana at Kevadia, Gujarat, and the external affairs minister also hosted the Heart of Asia conference in Amritsar," he said.

So that was just to give a few examples of such meetings that have happened outside Delhi, he added.

During an interactive session at the Bloomberg New Economy Forum here on Thursday, US envoy Sergio Gor said that Rubio will meet Indian government officials in Mumbai and "we expect that minister Dr S Jaishankar will be there".

Gor's comments had created a flutter online and also drew a sharp response from Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who on Friday questioned the government over Secretary Rubio's proposed meeting with Indian government officials in Mumbai next week, claiming that officials of the MEA were "confused" over it.

He also said Prime Minister Narendra Modi may want to explain the matter.

Gor on Thursday also said Secretary Rubio's upcoming visit to India will be a little more business-focused and he will meet "some of the folks" at Reliance during a trip to Jamnagar in Gujarat.

On the proposed bilateral trade agreement between India and the US, Jaiswal said both sides "remain engaged for early conclusion" of this pact, and referred to the remarks in the last two days by the external affairs minister and the Union commerce minister on its progress.

Critical economic and political objectives: Expert

The two sides continue to engage to iron out differences on the proposed deal, and negotiations are heading towards a "landing point", Jaishankar had said at an earlier session at the Bloomberg New Economy Forum, noting that the core fundamentals of the bilateral strategic partnership remained unchanged.

Gor on Thursday had said negotiations for a bilateral trade deal were moving at an "incredible pace", and the "big items are done", underlining that he was confident that both sides will get the pact through.

Foreign affairs expert Robinder Sachdev said Rubio's visit to Jamnagar and Mumbai carries critical economic and political objectives, particularly centred on corporate investments and upcoming US midterm dynamics.

Speaking to ANI, Sachdev analysed ongoing political and corporate engagements between India and the United States, with a focus on the diplomatic visit.

“The two sides continue to engage to iron out differences on the proposed deal, and negotiations are heading towards a ‘landing point’.”

“I think the visit of Marco Rubio, Secretary, is definitely a good sign, a good signal in US-India relations. Apart from other things, there is one speculation I have about his visit and the objectives of his visit. I am looking into why he is going to Jamnagar. That's an important visit,” he said.