New Delhi: External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar is expected to visit the United States next week to attend the Critical Minerals Ministerial meeting, a high-level forum focused on securing the global supply chain of essential minerals. The visit could also help ease recent tensions in India-US relations and potentially set the stage for a meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and former President Donald Trump.
The ministerial meeting, hosted by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington D.C., will bring together partner countries to discuss cooperation in critical minerals such as lithium, cobalt, and nickel. These minerals are vital for electric vehicles, renewable energy infrastructure, and defense systems. The summit comes at a time when trade negotiations between India and the US have faced challenges.
If Jaishankar proceeds with the visit, it is seen as a signal of intent to reduce friction between the two nations and explore the possibility of a high-level Modi-Trump interaction. Sources indicate that the visit would mark a diplomatic step toward resolving ongoing hurdles in bilateral relations.
The timing of Jaishankar’s visit is also significant given India’s recent Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the European Union. The agreement, considered a milestone amid US pressures, is designed as a modern trade partnership addressing global economic challenges while deepening market linkages between two of the world’s largest economies.
The FTA is expected to provide Indian companies preferential market access, reduce tariffs on “Made in India” medical devices, and accelerate growth in sectors such as chemicals, fertilizers, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, soaps, and detergents. It will also boost production capacities and support the development of MSME clusters across India.
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