US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a historic meeting in New Delhi on Saturday, where Rubio confirmed the US commitment to provide India with unlimited energy supplies. According to an official release by the US government, Rubio said 'We want to sell India as much energy as it will buy' while emphasizing that the US would not allow Iran to 'hold the global energy market hostage'. The meeting, which spanned over key topics including the Iran war, Hormuz disruption, energy security, trade and defense ties, also saw Rubio convey an invitation from President Donald Trump for Modi to visit the White House. This development comes as the US has been receiving significant quantities of Venezuelan oil across its refineries, with President Trump confirming that the oil is being shipped to and processed at facilities in Texas, Louisiana and Alaska.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has confirmed that Venezuela's interim President Delcy Rodríguez will visit India next week for oil discussions, as reported by Business Standard. This development comes as the US has been receiving significant quantities of Venezuelan oil across its refineries, with President Donald Trump confirming that the oil is being shipped to and processed at facilities in Texas, Louisiana and Alaska. The visit is expected to anchor key multilateral dialogues and further solidify the strategic partnership between the two countries, with Rubio's own visit scheduled from May 23-26, a spokesperson confirmed in a press release on Tuesday. According to NDTV Profit, Rubio will travel to India from May 23-26, where he will visit Kolkata, Agra, Jaipur, and New Delhi during his first visit to India.
During the meeting with PM Modi, Rubio pitched American energy exports as a way for India to reduce supply vulnerabilities amid ongoing disruptions linked to the Iran conflict. As reported by NDTV Profit, these comments come as Rubio prepares for his first visit to India from May 23-26, where he will visit Kolkata, Agra, Jaipur, and New Delhi. Rubio described India as a 'great partner' and emphasized that the US is ready to increase energy exports to the country, citing 'historic levels of US production and export' as evidence of this capacity. The talks come as India, one of the world's largest crude importers, grapples with elevated energy security concerns and volatility in global oil markets tied to tensions around the Strait of Hormuz. India purchased oil from Venezuela in 2019-20 and again in 2023-24, with Venezuela being among India's major sources of crude oil until FY20 when imports were discontinued following sanctions.
The American leader and Modi also reviewed broader bilateral cooperation, including trade, defense and critical technologies. The two sides discussed progress under the 'Mission 500' initiative aimed at doubling US-India trade to $500 billion by 2030. According to NDTV Profit, Rubio will also attend the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, or Quad, foreign ministers' meeting in New Delhi on May 26. The diplomatic engagement comes as massive energy disruption triggered by the ongoing Iran conflict has begun affecting countries globally through price hikes in diesel, petrol, LNG and other energy products. India has responded by introducing sharp hikes of ₹3 and then 90 paise in the span of 4 days to provide some respite to its Oil manufacturing companies (OMCs), highlighting the urgent need for stable energy supply partnerships.
