US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Sunday said Washington’s engagement with Pakistan does not come at the cost of its “strategic alliance” with India, emphasising that America’s relations with any country are not defined in opposition to its ties with New Delhi.
Rubio made the remarks during a joint media briefing with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar in New Delhi, following high-level talks covering defence cooperation, energy security, trade and regional stability.
Responding to a question on US-Pakistan relations and allegations related to military support for terrorist groups, Rubio declined to engage on military specifics but said countries routinely maintain tactical-level ties with multiple partners.
“We have relations, and we work at the tactical level, for example, and in many other ways with countries all over the world. So does India. That’s what the responsible nation-states do,” Rubio said.
He added, “But I don’t view our relation with any country in the world as coming at the expense of our strategic alliance with India for the reasons I’ve outlined here already earlier today.”
Rubio further said he would not comment on military-related aspects raised in the question, noting that he disagreed with parts of the framing.
The US top diplomat repeatedly underscored the strength of India-US ties, saying the relationship had not lost momentum and would become “much stronger in the coming years”.
He also expressed optimism about concluding a long-pending bilateral trade agreement, and said India and the US remained strategically aligned on most global issues.
“A strategic partnership is when your interests as two nations are aligned, and you work together strategically to solve those problems,” Rubio said.
Describing India as one of Washington’s most important global partners, he added that the breadth of cooperation highlighted the depth of the relationship beyond traditional diplomacy.
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“The list of issues that we work together with India on, the breadth of scope of them, is what highlights the fact that India is an important strategic partner in the United States, one of our most important strategic partners in the world,” he said.
Rubio also pointed to counterterrorism cooperation, saying both countries had experienced the impact of global terror networks and had developed strong alignment on the issue.
He further highlighted collaboration on emerging technologies, trade routes and ensuring a “free and open Indo-Pacific”, particularly regarding the unimpeded flow of commerce in international waters and airspace.
Jaishankar, in his remarks, said discussions also covered West Asia, the Indian subcontinent and East Asia, along with civil nuclear cooperation and recent developments in the energy partnership between the two countries.
Rubio, who also met Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit, described the engagement as part of efforts to strengthen an already “fantastic” and expanding strategic partnership, rather than reset it.
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