US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told lawmakers that the United States and India are only weeks away from concluding a long-awaited trade agreement. Responding to questions about his recent visit to India during a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing last night, Rubio said Washington and New Delhi are nearing completion of the pact. Secretary Rubio repeatedly highlighted India as an important strategic partner in the Indo-Pacific, signalling growing momentum in economic ties between the world’s largest and oldest democracies.

He said his visit to India also included discussions with counterparts from the Quad, a grouping comprising India, the United States, Japan, and Australia. Rubio indicated that the four countries are moving beyond dialogue towards concrete projects, including enhanced maritime cooperation across the Indo-Pacific. He further highlighted a new initiative known as Pax Silica, involving 14 countries working together to secure supply chains linked to artificial intelligence. There are 14 countries that are cooperating with one another to protect the supply chains critical to AI and AI development in the future. Rubio also acknowledged that efforts to negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine remain stalled, saying neither Russia nor Ukraine appears prepared to make the concessions necessary to reach a peace agreement.