India, Oct. 21 -- The US and India are "very, very close" to finalising a bilateral trade deal, with only "a small number of items left to wrap up", US secretary of state Marco Rubio said on Tuesday, as he used a meeting with external affairs minister S Jaishankar to urge New Delhi to increase energy trade and step up purchases of American technologies and systems.

"I would say we're about as close as you can be without having an executed agreement. I think there's a small number of items left to wrap up. So I think that will happen shortly -- we're hoping, which it should -- and hopefully have some good news to announce fairly soon. And perhaps the leaders can sign it thereafter," Rubio told the media.

The two sides reviewed their bila...