Dialogue, uninterrupted maritime trade: Jaishankar outlines India’s 5-point stand during talks with Rubio

Subscribed with another email? Logout and Login with that one. Account subscription benefits alongside Premium Stories, Editorials, Opinions and more. Unlock these with Subscription The View From India Looking at World Affairs from the Indian perspective. First Day First Show News and reviews from the world of cinema and streaming. Today's Cache Your download of the top 5 technology stories of the day. Science For All The weekly newsletter from science writers takes the jargon out of science and puts the fun in! Data Point Decoding the headlines with facts, figures, and numbers THEdge At the cutting edge of education and careers Health Matters Ramya Kannan writes to you on getting to good health, and staying there Gender Agenda Stories from beyond the binary. The Hindu On Books Books of the week, reviews, excerpts, new titles and features. Updated - May 24, 2026 02:35 pm IST - New Delhi External Affairs MInister S. Jaishankar with Secretary of State Marco Rubio during a joint press conference in New Delhi on May 24, 2026. | Photo Credit: Shiv Kumar Pushpakar External Affairs Minister (EAM) S. Jaishankar on Sunday (May 24, 2026) outlined India’s five-point approach on key regional and global issues, stressing that New Delhi advocates dialogue and diplomacy for conflict resolution, supports uninterrupted maritime commerce, and strongly opposes the weaponisation of trade and resources. Addressing a joint press briefing with Secretary of State Marco Rubio after delegation-level talks held at Hyderabad House, Mr. Jaishankar said India and the United States continue to maintain regular engagement and strategic coordination across a broad range of sectors. “This is the Secretary’s first visit to India, but ever since he has assumed office, we have been in regular touch. This has included occasions in Washington, D.C., and New York, and also on the sidelines of other events, the most recent one being in France. We have had a continuous engagement which has facilitated our overseeing the broad-based and growing cooperation between our two nations,” Mr. Jaishankar said. Highlighting the political understanding between New Delhi and Washington, the External Affairs Minister said the India-U.S. strategic partnership is built on converging interests in several areas of mutual importance. “In terms of the political understanding between India and the US, we have a strategic partnership which emanates from a convergence of national interests in many areas,” he stated. Listing India’s broad position on important regional and global matters, Mr. Jaishankar said New Delhi remains committed to diplomacy, lawful conduct, economic resilience, and trusted global partnerships. “One, that we advocate dialogue and diplomacy to address conflicts. Two, we support safe and unimpeded maritime commerce. Three, we demand scrupulous respect for international law. Fourth, we are against the weaponisation of market shares and resources. And five, we believe in the value of trusted partnerships and resilient supply chains to de-risk the global economy,” the External Affairs Minister said. Mr. Jaishankar also mentioned that Rubio had called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday, during which the leaders discussed a range of global and regional developments. He said that during his own meeting with Rubio, discussions were held on developments in West Asia, the Indian subcontinent and East Asia, along with deliberations related to his recent visit to the Caribbean region. “Our talks today over lunch will focus on the latest developments in the Gulf. A few things have happened or seem to be happening overnight, and also on the Ukraine conflict. Indo-Pacific is also on the agenda for the Quad meeting, which we will be doing on May 26,” he said. On defence and strategic cooperation, Mr. Jaishankar referred to the recently renewed 10-year major defence partnership framework agreement between India and the United States. He also highlighted the signing of a comprehensive underwater domain awareness roadmap. “We discussed the importance of taking into account the ‘Make in India’ approach and lessons drawn from recent conflicts while going forward in the defence domain,” he added. Speaking on economic cooperation, the External Affairs Minister said both countries discussed the importance of early finalisation of the India-US interim trade agreement, which is expected to pave the way for a larger bilateral trade pact. “On the economic front, we spoke about the value of concluding at an early date, the final text of the interim agreement regarding reciprocal and mutually beneficial trade. This will be an important step towards a comprehensive bilateral trade agreement, which was envisaged during Prime Minister Modi’s visit in February 2025,” he said. The External Affairs Minister also said energy security and nuclear cooperation figured prominently in the talks between the two sides. “We spent some time today discussing

Dialogue, uninterrupted maritime trade: Jaishankar outlines India’s 5-point stand during talks with Rubio

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Dialogue, uninterrupted maritime trade: Jaishankar outlines India’s 5-point stand during talks with Rubio

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