On first official India trip, Rubio tries to halt a trust deficit between Washington and Delhi

New Delhi: U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is holding talks with his Indian counterpart Subrahmanyam Jaishankar on Sunday as the two countries look to steady ties that have fallen to their lowest point in over two decades.Rubio’s visit comes during an economic and diplomatic downturn between the United States and India, strained largely by U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariff policies that raised duties on several Indian exports.Rubio arrived Saturday on his first official visit to India ahead of a meeting set for Tuesday with his counterparts from India, Australia and Japan, which are members of the Indo-Pacific strategic alliance known as the Quad.”India is at the cornerstone of how the United States approaches the Indo-Pacific, and not just through the Quad, but bilaterally,” Rubio said in New Delhi.His four-day visit will include a multicity tour and a gala reception in New Delhi marking the 250th anniversary of U.S. independence.”In the past one year, statements and rhetoric coming from Washington on some of India’s most sensitive security concerns and trade matters have not been helpful and have created a trust deficit,” said Ashok Malik, a former policy adviser in India’s Foreign Ministry.”Certain misgivings will remain,” Malik added, noting Rubio’s visit will be considered an achievement if the talks somewhat stabilize the relationship and check further deterioration.