New York/New Delhi, Sept. 23 -- India and the US on Wednesday discussed bilateral ties, regional developments and New Delhi's concerns over proposed sanctions targeting countries that buy Russian energy, as External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in New York.
The meeting took place on the sidelines of the 81st UN General Assembly session, where Jaishankar is leading the Indian delegation. After the meeting, Jaishankar said India's interests and concerns regarding the Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act (SRIA) were discussed, along with the situations in the Gulf and Ukraine.
US President Donald Trump signed the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026 into law last week. The legislation authorises tariffs of up to 100 per cent on countries purchasing Russian oil and gas, including India and China. New Delhi has said it will take all necessary steps to protect its economic interests and ensure energy security.
Rubio said India and the US were coordinating on key regional priorities and upcoming multilateral efforts.
US State Department spokesperson Thomas Pigott, however, said the sanctions legislation was still going through the legislative process and declined to comment on it until it was finalised. On Ukraine, he said Washington wanted a durable peace and urged countries supporting Russia to consider whether their actions were worsening the situation.
Pigott described India-US ties as "a very important relationship" and pointed to Rubio's first meeting in January 2025 with the foreign ministers of the Quad countries.
Rubio visited India in May and invited Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the White House. In July, Rubio and Jaishankar met in Manila, discussing trade, tariffs, energy, defence, critical minerals and artificial intelligence, and the need to finalise an interim trade deal.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.