The relationship with India is of “critical importance” to the United States, said US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Monday.

The statement came after Rubio met India’s External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on the sidelines of the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

This was the first meeting between the two leaders since US President Donald Trump imposed so-called reciprocal tariffs on Indian goods and punitive levies for purchasing Russian oil amid the Ukraine war.

During the meeting, Rubio “expressed his appreciation for the Indian government’s continued engagement on a number of issues, including trade, defence, energy, pharmaceuticals, critical minerals and other items related to the bilateral relationship”, the US Department of State said in a statement.

Both leaders also agreed that Washington and New Delhi “will continue working together to promote a free and open Indo-Pacific region, including through the Quad”, its added.

The Quad grouping comprises India, the US, Japan and Australia.

Ties between New Delhi and Washington have strained in recent months, with Trump repeatedly alleging that India’s imports were fuelling Russia’s war in Ukraine.

In August, the Trump administration doubled the tariffs on goods imported from India to 50% for purchasing Russian oil. A 25% so-called reciprocal tariff had already taken effect.

At the time, New Delhi said that it was “extremely unfortunate” that the US had chosen to impose additional tariffs on India “for actions that several other countries are also taking in their own national interest”.

After meeting Rubio, Jaishankar said on Monday that their talks “covered a range of bilateral and international issues of current concern”.

“Agreed on the importance of sustained engagement to progress on priority areas,” said the minister. “We will remain in touch.”

Earlier in the day, Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal met US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer in New York to accelerate trade talks between the two countries, according to reports.

On September 9, Trump said that he was looking forward to speaking with Prime Minister Narendra Modi about trade in the coming weeks.

Hours later, the Indian prime minister expressed confidence that the trade negotiations would “pave the way for unlocking the limitless potential” of the partnership between the two countries.

The talks between Rubio and Jaishankar also came three days after Trump signed an executive order, asking companies to pay $100,000 for new H-1B visa applicants. Prior to this, companies were paying $215 to register for the H-1B visa lottery, in addition to several filing fees.

H-1B visas allow companies in the US to temporarily employ foreign workers for special occupations.

Over the past few years, Indians have constituted the majority of H-1B visa holders. Indians comprised 72.3% of all H-1B visas issued by the US in the financial year 2022-’23.

In response to Trump’s decision, India’s external affairs ministry said that the order is likely to have “humanitarian consequences by way of the disruption caused for families”.

“The full implications of the measure are being studied by all concerned, including by Indian industry, which has already put out an initial analysis clarifying some perceptions related to the H-1B program,” the ministry said.

The ministry added that it hoped the disruptions could be “addressed suitably by the US authorities”.

Also read: Facing tariff penalty, should India continue to protect American intellectual property?

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