Why Marco Rubio’s visit to Mumbai has ruffled feathers in India
Marco Rubio’s planned meetings in Mumbai have drawn criticism from India’s opposition after the US ambassador said Indian officials were expected to travel there, amid tensions over trade and Russian oil.
Curated by Mr. Maxwell Muthui Mwangi · 18 Oct 2026 · 2 min read
Read the full report at Al Jazeera ↗
The story in context
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s planned visit to India has triggered a political dispute over diplomatic protocol, Al Jazeera reported on October 18, 2026. Rubio is scheduled to meet External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar in Mumbai on Monday before visiting a refinery in Jamnagar, Gujarat. His itinerary excludes New Delhi, and officials have not explained why.
The controversy followed remarks by US Ambassador Sergio Gor that Washington expected Jaishankar and other Indian officials to travel to Mumbai for the meetings. Opposition Congress leaders, including Rahul Gandhi, Jairam Ramesh and Pawan Khera, criticised the remarks as suggesting Washington could dictate arrangements to India’s foreign minister. Their accusations targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government; the report does not establish that Jaishankar was ordered to attend.
Indian officials said discussions would address energy, trade, investment, defence and emerging technologies. Rubio’s Jamnagar stop is at the Reliance Industries refinery operated by billionaire Mukesh Ambani’s conglomerate. Citing Business Standard, Al Jazeera linked the visit to Reliance’s substantial purchases of Venezuelan crude and investment in a Texas refinery, against a backdrop of US efforts to encourage Indian purchases of Venezuelan oil.
The trip comes amid unresolved trade negotiations and disagreements over India’s Russian oil purchases. According to Al Jazeera, a February framework reduced US tariffs on most Indian goods from 50 percent to 18 percent, but negotiations subsequently stalled. A recently signed US sanctions law could bring further tariffs against major Russian energy buyers, although President Donald Trump sought to waive those sanctions through an executive order on Friday. Despite political friction, analyst Sameer Lalwani argued that defence and technology cooperation had strengthened, with bilateral trade rising nearly 12 percent in 2025 to almost $240bn.
Original AI-assisted summary based on Al Jazeera reporting; curated by Mr. Maxwell Muthui Mwangi. Not independently verified by Baller Daily.
Source: Al Jazeera ↗
