Marco Rubio Says India-US Trade Deal Is Nearly Done After Mumbai Talks with Jaishankar

20 October 2026National

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio met External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar in Mumbai on 20 October 2026 and said the two sides were 'about as close as you can be without having executed the agreement' on a bilateral trade deal, with only a few items left to settle. The two also held a US-India-UAE trilateral with UAE Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan covering regional energy security, trade, technology and connectivity. Rubio visited Jamnagar, Gujarat, on 21 October. A February 2026 framework had already cut the US tariff on most Indian goods from 50% to 18%.

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The United Arab Emirates' capital is Abu Dhabi and its currency is the Dirham; the India-UAE CEPA came into force in May 2022 | The United States is India's largest trading partner in goods | The US Department of State, headed by the Secretary of State, was founded in 1789 and is housed in Foggy Bottom, Washington DC

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