PolicyForeign affairs
Jaishankar to meet Rubio in Mumbai on 20 October; MEA rejects Congress 'summoned' charge
The US Secretary of State visits India from 17 to 22 October with energy on the agenda, but will not come to Delhi. The MEA says leaders have often been hosted outside the capital.
Key points
- External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will hold talks with Marco Rubio in Mumbai on 20 October.
- Congress said the US had "summoned" the minister; the MEA listed past visits hosted outside Delhi.
- Jaishankar will also host UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed in Mumbai on 19 and 20 October.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will hold talks with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Mumbai on 20 October, the Ministry of External Affairs said on Friday, as it pushed back at Congress’s charge that Washington had “summoned” the minister to the city.
Rubio is due in India from 17 to 22 October, the US State Department has said, with energy cooperation at the top of his agenda. It is his second visit to India this year. His itinerary covers Mumbai and Jamnagar in Gujarat, home to Reliance Industries’ refining complex, where US Ambassador Sergio Gor has said he is expected to meet Reliance chairman Mukesh Ambani. He is not scheduled to visit New Delhi.
What the talks will cover
MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said at his regular briefing that the two ministers would review the state of India-US relations and look for ways to strengthen cooperation under the global strategic partnership. Energy, regional developments and global issues are expected to come up.
“The visit will provide an opportunity to sustain the high-level engagement between the two countries,” Jaiswal said.
A celebration marking the 250th anniversary of American independence is also on the programme in Mumbai on 20 October.
The row over the venue
The choice of Mumbai over the capital drew criticism after Gor said at the Bloomberg New Economy Forum in Delhi on Thursday: “we expect that minister Dr S Jaishankar will be there”. Congress leaders, Rahul Gandhi among them, said the US was summoning India’s foreign minister.
Jaiswal rejected that reading. He said India had hosted foreign leaders in cities other than Delhi many times over the past decade. Prime Minister Narendra Modi received Spain’s Pedro Sanchez in Vadodara in October 2024, Mauritius Prime Minister Navinchandra Ramgoolam in Varanasi in September 2025 and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in Ahmedabad in January this year. Jaishankar has hosted a Shanghai Cooperation Organisation foreign ministers’ meeting in Goa and Botswana’s foreign minister at Kevadia, and India held the Heart of Asia conference in Amritsar in 2016.
A busy two days in Mumbai
Before Rubio arrives, Jaishankar will host the UAE’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, in Mumbai on 19 and 20 October. “They will naturally have a detailed exchange of views on the situation in West Asia,” Jaiswal said.
The spokesperson also said dates for Prime Minister Modi’s visit to Canada were still under discussion between the two sides. At the same briefing he expressed deep concern over an alleged plot to attack a Hindu temple in Illinois and asked US authorities to ensure the safety of Indian nationals.