What happened
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio visited India, focusing on energy cooperation and investment, as the US faces high oil prices ahead of midterm elections. Rubio met with Indian Foreign Minister S Jaishankar and business leaders in Mumbai, before traveling to the western town of Jamnagar, home to a large oil refinery owned by Reliance Industries.
Rubio's visit aimed to strengthen energy ties between the two countries, with the US seeking to reduce its reliance on Middle Eastern oil and India looking to increase its refining capacity. The visit also comes amid tensions in India-US relations, including trade disputes and sanctions over India's purchase of Russian oil.
Experts say the visit may help ease some of these tensions, particularly if India agrees to increase its imports of Venezuelan and American oil. The US is also keen to advance a trade deal with India, which has been stalled for over a year. Rubio's meeting with the Ambani family, owners of Reliance Industries, was seen as a key part of this effort.
The visit highlighted the importance of India's refining capacity, with Reliance's Jamnagar refinery able to process over 1.4 million barrels of crude oil per day. The US is looking to increase its energy cooperation with India, including the possibility of a new refinery in Texas, which Reliance has been linked to.
