Rubio Arrives in India for Quad Meeting After Tariff Tensions

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrived in Kolkata early Saturday for a four-day visit that includes a Quad ministerial meeting next week. The trip comes after Washington imposed higher duties on several Indian exports, cooling relations that officials now aim to reset.

Rubio is scheduled to visit Mother House, headquarters of the Missionaries of Charity founded by Mother Teresa, later on Saturday. In the following days he will travel to Agra and Jaipur before returning to New Delhi for a gala reception marking the 250th anniversary of U.S. independence.

Rubio also met Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday evening to discuss regional and global issues, including developments in West Asia. Modi’s office said the prime minister reiterated India’s support for resolving conflicts through dialogue and diplomacy.

Rubio will hold a bilateral meeting with India’s External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar. Tuesday’s Quad session will bring together the foreign ministers of India, Australia, Japan, and the United States. The group has previously accused China of expanding its military presence in the South China Sea; Beijing describes its forces as defensive and calls the Quad an effort to limit its economic influence.

“There’s a lot to work on with India, they’re a great ally and partner. We do a lot of good work with them so this is an important trip.”

Rubio’s first formal international engagement after his January 2025 inauguration was a meeting with the other Quad foreign ministers.