RUBIO ARRIVES IN NEW DELHI AHEAD OF QUAD FOREIGN MINISTERS MEETING AS US SEEKS TO RESET INDIA TIES

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrived in New Delhi on Saturday for a four-day visit — his first trip to India since taking office — as Washington works to repair bilateral ties strained by tariff disputes and reset its partnership with a key Indo-Pacific ally. Rubio met with Prime Minister Narendra Modi hours after landing, according to officials cited by NPR and India TV News.

The visit is expected to culminate Tuesday with a ministerial meeting of the Quad, the strategic grouping of the United States, India, Australia, and Japan. The Quad foreign ministers are set to discuss regional security, critical minerals, and China's increasingly assertive posture in the South China Sea, according to reporting by Foreign Policy and BusinessToday.

Trade and energy cooperation are also central to the agenda. Relations between Washington and New Delhi came under strain earlier this year after the Trump administration imposed higher tariffs on several Indian exports, prompting India to recalibrate its foreign economic alignments. Rubio is also scheduled to hold talks with External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on Sunday, the Washington Post reported.

India occupies a central role in Washington's Indo-Pacific strategy, and analysts say the timing of the visit carries added weight given the ongoing U.S.-Iran conflict and its effects on global energy markets and shipping. The Quad meeting is seen as a signal of continued American commitment to the alliance despite domestic pressure to reduce overseas engagement.