Rubio says India made ‘substantial progress’ in diversifying oil purchases

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Tuesday India had made “substantial progress” in diversifying its energy supplies, including away from its key importer Russia.

“What India has expressed repeatedly is their desire to diversify their energy portfolio, which is a smart thing to do,” Rubio said on a visit to India’s economic capital, Mumbai.

“Obviously, it’s not easy to do that from one day to the next, so I think they’ve made substantial progress in that regard, and we’re happy to see that.”

India is a major importer of Russian oil, and US President Donald Trump’s tariff war launched in April last year has added to friction between Washington and New Delhi.

“Obviously, we think we could be a source of some of their energy inputs,” Rubio said.

The top US diplomat will visit Jamnagar, in the western state of Gujarat, a port and stronghold of billionaire Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance conglomerate and its flagship refinery, the world’s largest.

“India is a refining superpower,” said Rubio, who is to hold talks with Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar and meet business leaders.

Rubio’s visit comes as India and the United States struggle to finalise a trade deal, a persistent source of friction between the two countries.

“We’re very very close; 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,” Rubio said.

“Hopefully have some good news to announce fairly soon, and perhaps the leaders can sign it thereafter,” he said.

The two countries reached an interim trade agreement in February aimed at reducing US tariffs on Indian goods.

However, the US Supreme Court struck down Trump’s sweeping tariffs days later, fuelling uncertainty over when the agreement would take effect.

The two sides have been negotiating ever since.