US, India discuss critical minerals cooperation and strategic ties during Washington meeting

The United States and India have engaged in high-level discussions in Washington on cooperation, trade, and strategic relations related to critical minerals.

The discussions took place late Tuesday in the wake of a recently concluded bilateral trade agreement that has sparked interest in the region.

Diplomatic sources in Washington, however, say that the agreement is not expected to have any influence on the recent improvement in bilateral relations between Pakistan and the United States, as the latter is not related to India.

The sources say that recent events in the wider Middle East, as well as South and Central Asia, have further increased the importance of Pakistan as a major regional player in the strategic calculations of the United States.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio held talks with Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar during the latter’s three-day official visit to the United States.

As per the readout from the US State Department, the meeting between Secretary Rubio and Minister Jaishankar covered “formalizing bilateral cooperation on critical minerals exploration, mining, and processing,” which has become increasingly significant in light of global supply chain shifts and competition for energy transition materials.

The meeting took place before the first-ever critical minerals ministerial, which is set to take place on Wednesday, and after the completion of a trade agreement that has been pending for a long time between Washington and New Delhi.

As per the agreement, the US will lower tariffs on Indian products to 18 percent after a year of negotiations.

“Secretary Rubio and Minister Jaishankar welcomed the trade deal reached between President Trump and Prime Minister Modi,” the US statement read, adding that the two leaders “emphasized the importance of our democracies working together to unlock new economic opportunities and advance our shared energy security goals.”

In a social media post, Secretary Rubio wrote: “Met with Indian External Affairs Minister Dr. S Jaishankar to discuss our bilateral cooperation on critical minerals exploration and work towards unlocking new economic opportunities between our two countries. We also congratulated each other on the trade agreement between the United States and India.”

Jaishankar posted on his social media account: “Delighted to meet US Secretary Rubio this afternoon. It was a wide-ranging conversation that covered our bilateral cooperation agenda, regional, and global issues.”

“Facets of India-US Strategic Partnership that were discussed include trade, energy, nuclear, defense, critical minerals, and technology,” he said, adding: “Agreed on the early meetings of various mechanisms to advance our shared interests.”

The two leaders also reaffirmed their commitment to “expanding bilateral and multilateral cooperation” within the framework of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad), which comprises the US, India, Japan, and Australia.

According to the US readout, the two leaders ended their meeting with a commitment to strengthen cooperation within the Quad framework, recognizing that “a prosperous Indo-Pacific region remains vital to advancing our shared interests.”