US Secretary Marco Rubio Arrives in Kolkata on Key India Visit

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has begun his first official visit to India with a stop in Kolkata, signaling a renewed push to strengthen ties between Washington and New Delhi. Arriving directly from the United States, Rubio started his India tour by visiting the Mother Teresa House at the Missionaries of Charity in Kolkata along with his wife, Jeanette D. Rubio. The visit drew significant public attention, and tight security arrangements were put in place across the city. US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor also accompanied the couple during the visit. Rubio’s trip is being viewed as an important diplomatic effort to improve India-US relations after recent disagreements over tariffs, visa rules, and crude oil trade. The visit reflects both countries’ willingness to move past earlier tensions and deepen cooperation in strategic sectors such as trade, technology, defense, and regional security. After Kolkata, Rubio is scheduled to travel to New Delhi, Agra, and Jaipur during his four-day India tour. In the capital, he is expected to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and hold discussions on several major bilateral issues. According to officials, topics on the agenda include economic cooperation, defense partnerships, emerging technologies, and the growing role of the Quad alliance. The US State Department has released Rubio’s detailed itinerary. On May 24, he will hold bilateral talks with External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar at Hyderabad House in New Delhi. Later the same evening, he will attend Independence Day celebrations at the US Embassy. On May 25, Rubio is scheduled to attend official events in Agra and Jaipur before returning to New Delhi. The final day of his visit, May 26, will focus on the Quad Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, where leaders from key Indo-Pacific nations are expected to discuss regional security and strategic cooperation. Following the meeting and a media briefing, Rubio will depart for the United States. This marks the first visit by a US Secretary of State to Kolkata in nearly 14 years. The last such visit took place in 2012, when former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton toured the city.