New Delhi: US secretary of state Marco Rubio sought a larger American role in India’s energy supplies and said a bilateral trade agreement was close to completion on the first day of his visit.Even as Washington seeks to secure additional fuel supplies and ease pressure on energy prices ahead of November’s midterm elections, Rubio also altered his schedule to stay overnight in Jamnagar, Gujarat, where he is due to visit Reliance Industries’ refinery complex and meet its chairman, Mukesh Ambani.Five months after his previous visit to India in May, Rubio returned on Tuesday (October 20), this time beginning his trip in Mumbai rather than New Delhi. His first day was dominated by official engagements, including a bilateral meeting with his host, external affairs minister S. Jaishankar and a trilateral meeting with Jaishankar and United Arab Emirates deputy prime minister and foreign minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan.But the itinerary for Wednesday points to the commercial and energy interests underpinning the visit. Rubio is scheduled to meet Gautam Adani, chairman of the Adani Group, and N. Chandrasekaran, chief executive officer of the Tata Group, before travelling to Jamnagar.The meeting with Adani would be the first between the industrialist and a senior Trump administration cabinet official since a US federal judge dismissed the criminal case against him in August, following the Justice Department’s decision to drop the charges.Jamnagar, however, is the principal focus of Rubio’s second day. The US secretary of state was initially scheduled to spend around nine hours in Gujarat before returning to Mumbai after dinner with Ambani. In a last-minute change communicated to travelling media, Rubio will instead stay overnight in Jamnagar and return to Mumbai on Thursday morning.Energy was also central to Rubio’s meeting with Jaishankar. In a readout of the meeting, the state department said that Rubio argued that greater energy trade with the US could help India diversify its supply chains while meeting its substantial domestic demand. He welcomed progress in bilateral defence and civil nuclear cooperation and called for India to purchase more American technology and defence systems.The emphasis on diversification comes as India’s purchases of Russian crude have fallen sharply in recent months. Imports declined by nearly 29% between July and September, from approximately 2.57 million barrels per day to 1.82 million barrels per day, according to Kpler ship-tracking data.India nevertheless remained the largest destination for seaborne Russian crude in September, ahead of China, which imported around 1.49 million barrels per day.Rubio told reporters before his meeting with Jaishankar that India had made considerable progress in diversifying its energy portfolio, but said the process could not happen overnight.“I think they’ve made substantial progress in that regard, and we’re happy to see that,” he told reporters, adding that the US could supply some of India’s energy requirements. “In the end, it’s not just about Russian oil. It’s about their desire to diversify.”Rubio’s visit comes days after US President Donald Trump waived specified punitive duties and sanctions provisions under the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026, which had authorised tariffs of up to 100% on imports from countries buying Russian oil under specified conditions.In his CNN-News18 interview, Rubio defended the decision, arguing that sanctions against Russia could also impose costs on countries that trade with Moscow.“Sanctions come at a consequence, because sanctions aren’t just on Russia. They are on anyone who does business with Russia,” he said. “So there’s a balancing act there, there’s always been, between on the one hand trying to pressure the countries involved in this war to enter into an agreement, and on the other hand recognising that when you do that pressure, sometimes it spills over and has a negative impact on other countries.”He said Trump had used a national security waiver because the consequences of the measures needed to be considered alongside their intended impact on Russia.“Hopefully, between that and a trade agreement with India, these issues will be resolved,” Rubio said, acknowledging that tensions over Russian oil remained.The waiver has drawn attention because Washington has simultaneously moved to secure Russian diesel supplies. Trump has reached an arrangement with Moscow to facilitate diesel deliveries to US and global markets, as his administration seeks to contain fuel costs ahead of the midterm elections.Venezuelan crude and RelianceRubio had to face repeated questions from his accompanying media delegation about his decision to go to Jamnagar. He clearly said that it was about exploring whether Reliance, with its capacity to refine heavy crude, could support American interests by processing more oil from Venezuela.Following the US military operation that captured and removed Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in January, Rubio emerged as Washington’s principal official overseeing Venezuela’s affairs.Incidentally, Rubio had been the one to ‘announce’ the visit of Venezuelan interim president Delcy Rodriguez to India.With Venezuela ramping up production and exports this year, Indian refiners have begun importing larger quantities of the country’s crude after a period in which it was largely absent from India’s import mix.“They can, and we’ll talk about that tomorrow with Reliance. They’ve done so in the past. They have the capability to refine heavy crude,” Rubio told reporters in Mumbai when asked whether Indian companies could refine more Venezuelan oil.He also pointed to Reliance’s existing oil concessions in Venezuela, which could potentially allow the company to increase production, although he acknowledged that US sanctions on the Venezuelan government could present obstacles.“There might be a few impediments that stand in the way in terms of sanctions and so forth that we’ll have to work through,” he said.Kpler data reported by PTI put Venezuelan crude exports to India at approximately 257,000 barrels per day in September, compared with around 563,000 barrels per day to the US. Reliance’s Jamnagar complex is particularly relevant because its refining configuration allows it to process heavy and extra-heavy crude grades.Rubio cautioned that Venezuelan oil alone would not compensate for all potential disruptions to global supplies, but argued that it could provide some immediate relief and additional volumes over time.His remarks come amid mounting pressure on global energy markets from the conflict in West Asia, disruptions around the Strait of Hormuz and attacks on oil infrastructure and shipping linked to the Russia-Ukraine war. Rubio told reporters that countries around the world were facing difficulties securing affordable diesel, which he described as essential to their economies.The energy discussions are taking place alongside efforts to conclude a bilateral trade agreement that has been under negotiation for months.Rubio told reporters before meeting Jaishankar that the agreement was close to completion. In his subsequent CNN-News18 interview, he offered a more specific timeline, saying the outstanding issues were largely technical.“I think we’re down to some technical details that have to be worked out,” he told Network18 managing director Rahul Joshi. “It is something we anticipate seeing in a matter of weeks, not months.”He cautioned that the wording of the agreement needed to be settled in full before it could be announced, saying both sides had to agree on the meaning of its provisions.The negotiations follow Washington’s imposition of tariffs of up to 50% on many Indian goods in 2025, including a 25% penalty linked to India’s purchases of Russian oil. A framework announced in February envisaged reducing the so-called reciprocal tariff rate to 18%, but it was never implemented as the ‘reciprocal tariffs’ were overturned by the US Supreme Court.Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman recently said the negotiations had reached a plateau, while commerce and industry minister Piyush Goyal has indicated that the first tranche of the agreement is in its final stages.Rubio said a sustainable trade agreement needed to accommodate the national interests of both countries. He added that the US administration was seeking terms that would be beneficial to both sides, rather than an agreement that could create further friction after its announcement.Quad leaders’ summit at ASEANBeyond trade and energy, Rubio also indicated that the two countries were preparing for further engagement through the Quad, which brings together India, the US, Japan and Australia.Asked about the absence of a Quad leaders’ summit since September 2024 and whether Trump would travel to India for the next meeting, Rubio said the four countries had agreed to hold a summit before the end of the year in Manila, alongside the ASEAN conference.“We don’t have the specific date yet, but that’s going to happen, and we’re very enthusiastic about it,” he said in the CNN-News18 interview.Rubio said he expected the leaders’ meeting to produce concrete initiatives rather than simply provide an opportunity for the four countries to meet. He added that the Quad had increasingly moved towards implementing joint activities.Washington’s ties with Islamabad highlight another friction pointHighlighting another friction point with Washington, Jaishankar underscored India’s concerns over terrorism at the US consulate’s Freedom 250 reception in Mumbai. “We are clear on our right to defend ourselves against terrorism and expect our partners to show zero tolerance towards terrorism as well.”The remarks came as Trump has continued to cultivate ties with Pakistan and given it the diplomatic spotlight as a mediator in the Iran war, despite longstanding Indian concerns over cross-border terrorism.Rubio defended the US relationship with Pakistan, saying that as secretary of state he had to manage Washington’s foreign policy and maintain relations with countries even when disagreements existed.“In the case of Pakistan, it’s a country that we have to have a relationship with. It’s a country that possesses nuclear weapons,” he told CNN-News 18, adding that its geographic position also made engagement necessary.Rubio said maintaining ties could put Washington in a position to “help discourage the kinds of things that India is worried about”.