Jaishankar-Rubio in New York: First meet after H1-B visa and tariff row – what’s on agenda?

Jaishankar-Rubio to meet in New York

External affairs minister S Jaishankar will meet US secretary of state Marco Rubio in New York on Monday for their first in-person talks, days after President Donald Trump imposed an additional 25% tariff on India.Jaishankar arrived in New York on Sunday and will meet Rubio on the sidelines of the 80th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) session at 11 am EST (8:30 PM IST).The meeting is aimed at reinforcing India-US relations, which had faced turbulence in recent months after trade tensions escalated following President Donald Trump’s steep tariff hike on Indian imports over Delhi’s Russian oil purchases. Jaishankar and Rubio previously met in Washington in July during the 10th Quad Foreign Ministers’ Meeting and also held talks in January. Jaishankar will also deliver India’s national statement at the UNGA General Debate on September 27. He will also hold a series of bilateral meetings with global counterparts through the week, reported PTI.EAM first met with Philippines foreign affairs secretary Theresa P Lazaro on Sunday, where the two ministers reviewed recent developments in ties. They had last met in July during the Quad Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Washington DC. “We followed up on the recent State Visit of President @bongbongmarcos to India. Also discussed our cooperation in the UN and the Indo-Pacific region,” Jaishankar posted on X after the meeting. Lazaro described the talks as reaffirming the Philippines-India strategic partnership and cooperation across political, defence, security and maritime domains. Trade negotiations will run parallel to the high-profile diplomatic exchanges. A delegation led by Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal will meet US officials in New York on Monday.The commerce ministry said positive discussions were held during US Trade Representative officials’ visit to India on September 16, and both sides agreed to intensify efforts to close the deal.High level diplomatic engagements come amid Donald Trumps recent announcement of $100,000 fee on H-1B visas and high tarrif row.