New Delhi – India’s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar has received an invitation to attend a critical minerals meeting in Washington scheduled for February 4-5, marking another significant engagement in India-US bilateral relations. This strategic summit represents an important opportunity for New Delhi to strengthen its position in global supply chain security discussions.
Invitation Details and Potential Bilateral Engagement
The critical minerals meeting invitation extends to Jaishankar for a two-day visit to the US capital, though a final decision on his participation remains pending. According to sources familiar with the matter, if the visit materializes, Jaishankar could potentially hold discussions with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio during his time in Washington.
This critical minerals meeting comes at a crucial juncture in India-US relations, with both nations seeking to deepen cooperation across multiple strategic domains including trade, defense, and supply chain security.
Recent Diplomatic Engagement Between India and US
Prior to the critical minerals meeting invitation, Jaishankar and Rubio engaged in substantive discussions during a January 13 telephone call. Their conversation covered bilateral trade negotiations and explored possibilities for expanded US-India civil nuclear cooperation. Following the call, US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor publicly announced that both officials had discussed the prospect of a February meeting.
The last face-to-face encounter between Rubio and Jaishankar occurred in September 2025 on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly session in New York City. That meeting played a pivotal role in stabilizing India-US relations following weeks of public diplomatic tensions, making the upcoming critical minerals meeting even more significant.
Background of Bilateral Tensions and Progress
The relationship between Washington and New Delhi faced challenges when the Trump administration imposed a fifty percent tariff on India, which included a twenty-five percent tariff penalty specifically targeting India’s purchases of Russian energy. These measures created friction between the two strategic partners and necessitated high-level diplomatic intervention.
Despite these challenges, the partnership has demonstrated resilience and made notable progress. A significant milestone was reached in October with the announcement of a ten-year Framework for the US-India Major Defence Partnership. However, the finalization of a comprehensive bilateral trade deal has remained elusive, lending additional importance to the critical minerals meeting as a platform for advancing economic cooperation.
Strategic Importance of the Summit
The US State Department has emphasized the significance of this critical minerals meeting in an official statement. Secretary Rubio will welcome partners from across the globe to the State Department for the inaugural Critical Minerals Ministerial on February 4. The department highlighted that strengthening critical mineral supply chains with international partners is vital to America’s economic and national security, technological leadership, and a resilient energy future.
For India, participation in this critical minerals meeting aligns with its strategic objectives of diversifying supply chains and reducing dependence on single-source suppliers, particularly China.
Streamlining Multinational Initiatives
According to informed sources, the critical minerals meeting could serve to streamline numerous overlapping multinational initiatives focused on securing supply chains. The newly announced Pax Silica initiative and the Biden-era Minerals Security Partnership share largely similar economic security objectives. However, the overlap between these programs has generated bureaucratic difficulties for US-led international cooperation with partners like India.
New Delhi currently holds membership in the Minerals Security Partnership and received an invitation to join Pax Silica earlier this month. The critical minerals meeting provides an opportunity to clarify roles and coordinate efforts more effectively.
Official Responses and Confirmation Status
When queried about Jaishankar’s planned participation in the critical minerals meeting and a possible bilateral meeting with Secretary Rubio, the US State Department indicated it had no additional details to share at this time. Similarly, India’s Ministry of External Affairs did not respond to press queries seeking confirmation of the visit.
India’s Growing Engagement on Minerals Security
The critical minerals meeting invitation follows closely after another significant engagement. Just weeks earlier, Union minister Ashwini Vaishnaw joined finance ministers from ten countries at a multinational meeting in Washington to discuss strengthening critical minerals supply chains. These discussions centered on concerns regarding China’s dominance in the sector.
China’s Market Dominance Challenge
The strategic importance of the critical minerals meeting becomes clearer when examining China’s current market position. China leads production of thirty minerals deemed critical by the US Geological Survey and accounts for roughly seventy percent of rare earths mining globally. Additionally, China controls over ninety percent of rare earth processing worldwide, creating significant supply chain vulnerabilities for other nations.
Benefits for India’s Manufacturing Sector
Speaking after the earlier summit, Minister Vaishnaw emphasized that strengthening critical mineral supply chains would significantly aid India’s manufacturing capabilities and electronics sector. This underscores why participation in the critical minerals meeting represents a strategic priority for New Delhi.
The upcoming critical minerals meeting in Washington offers India an important platform to advance its economic security interests, deepen strategic partnerships, and contribute to building resilient global supply chains independent of single-source dependencies. As discussions continue regarding Jaishankar’s participation, both nations recognize the meeting’s potential to enhance bilateral cooperation and address shared strategic challenges.
