‘Detailed review of bilateral cooperation’: EAM Jaishankar on his meeting with US State Secy Marco Rubio

WASHINGTON: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, who is in the US as part of the Critical Minerals Ministerial hosted by the US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, says that the two side also reviewed their bilateral cooperation during his meetings with the US Secretary. The EAM said that topics such as the Indo-Pacific, West Asia, and Ukraine were discussed.

“We did a fairly detailed review of our bilateral cooperation. It’s natural when foreign ministers meet that you discuss the diplomatic agenda. Also, the calendar – what do we expect each one of us to do this year together, so a lot of our discussion was devoted to that, the bilateral side. But again, foreign ministers meet, and we talk about our business: the Indo-Pacific, what is happening in West Asia, the Middle East, Gaza, and the Ukraine conflict. There was a kind of global review of what was happening in the Western Hemisphere. In a sense, we discussed the world, we discussed our relationship, and it was a very open sort of forthcoming conversation,” he said.

Spoke at the Critical Minerals Ministerial in Washington DC today.

Underlined challenges of excessive concentration and the importance of de-risking supply chains through structured international cooperation.

Highlighted India’s efforts towards greater resilience through… pic.twitter.com/yfiDHGboau

— Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) February 4, 2026

At the Critical Minerals meet, the EAM underlined India’s support for the FORGE (Forum on Resource, Geostrategic Engagement) initiative.

“I am here to attend the Critical Minerals Ministerial, which was convened by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and a number of countries, nearly 50 countries were here. The meeting is going on today, and it was the principal reason. The discussion was very good. Critical minerals are a very important subject; the US has been a partner for some years. Today, they have launched a new edition – FORGE, which we have supported. It is a successor to the Mineral Security Partnership. To me, it was a productive and outcome-oriented meeting”, he said.

Earlier, during his address to the ministerial, the EAM said that “excessive concentration” in critical mineral supply chains poses a major global risk and called for structured international cooperation to “de-risk” them, as India deepens engagement with the US-led framework on strategic minerals.

Jaishankar’s remarks come as India’s engagement in the US-led critical minerals dialogue marks a decisive shift from strategic intent to industrial execution. The announcement of dedicated rare earth corridors in India’s 2026 Budget is a particularly important signal, as it reflects a move beyond resource security toward building domestic processing, separation, magnet manufacturing, and downstream capabilities. (ANI)