External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar engaged in bilateral discussions with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio in New York on Monday, September 22, 2025. This significant meeting took place as the high-level 80th session of the U.N. General Assembly (UNGA) commenced, setting a diplomatic tone for the week.
Their encounter at the Lotte New York Palace marked their first in-person dialogue since President Donald Trump implemented an additional 25% tariff on India. These new levies, imposed due to India’s purchases of Russian oil, brought the total tariffs on India to a substantial 50%.
The two diplomats had previously met in July during the Quad Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Washington D.C. Notably, this latest discussion occurred on a day when both India and the U.S. were also scheduled to advance negotiations towards the prompt conclusion of a key trade agreement.
Concurrent to these high-level talks, a delegation led by Union Commerce and Industries Minister Piyush Goyal was also in New York, scheduled to meet with their U.S. counterparts on Monday, September 22, 2025. According to a statement from the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, the objective of this delegation was to push forward discussions aimed at the swift and mutually beneficial conclusion of a new trade agreement.
The Ministry’s statement further noted that productive discussions regarding various elements of the trade deal had taken place during the U.S. Trade Representative’s visit to India on September 16, 2025, and both sides had committed to intensifying their efforts to finalize the agreement.
Minister Jaishankar arrived in New York on Sunday, September 21, 2025, for the crucial UNGA week. His agenda includes a packed schedule of bilateral and multilateral engagements alongside the main session. He is also slated to deliver India’s national statement at the General Debate on September 27, 2025, from the renowned UNGA podium.