Strategic ties with Pak not at expense of India, says Rubio

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said that Washington’s efforts to rebuild its strategic partnership with Pakistan will “not come at the expense of India”.

Rubio’s comments come ahead of his meeting with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar in Kuala Lumpur on Monday, on the sidelines of the 47th ASEAN Summit. The two last met on the sidelines of the UNGA Summit in September.

“We’re fully aware of the challenges with regards to India and everything else, but our job is to create opportunities for partnerships wherever possible,” Rubio said, adding that the US and Pakistan had had “a long history of partnering on counter-terrorism”.

He said Washington was now looking to “expand it beyond that”, while acknowledging that “there’ll be some difficulties and challenges”.

Rubio emphasised that closer US-Pakistan ties should not be viewed as undermining relations with India. “I don’t think it comes at the expense of, or instead of, a good relationship with India — or anybody else, for that matter,” he said.

The remarks come as New Delhi remains watchful of recent signals suggesting a quiet thaw between Washington and Islamabad, particularly on security cooperation. Officials here said India would convey its expectations regarding “cross-border terror and stability in the region” during the Jaishankar-Rubio meeting.

Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump again stirred diplomatic ripples, reiterating his claim that India will “completely stop” buying oil from Russia —a statement New Delhi has consistently rejected.

Speaking aboard Air Force One, Trump said: “China is cutting back very substantially on the purchase of Russian oil, and India is cutting back completely, and we’ve done sanctions.” The US President’s comments came after Washington imposed fresh sanctions on Russian oil giants Rosneft and Lukoil.

Indian officials have repeatedly maintained that energy imports are guided by national interest and market realities, not external pressure. “India’s decisions on energy security are sovereign,” a senior official said.

Observers say the Jaishankar-Rubio meeting in Malaysia will be closely watched for signs of how the Trump administration seeks to balance its renewed outreach to Pakistan with its deepening strategic partnership with India.