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US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on May 24 firmly rejected suggestions that Washington’s growing engagement with Pakistan could undermine its strategic partnership with India, asserting during his visit to New Delhi that America’s relations with any country would not come “at the expense” of its alliance with India.
Responding to a pointed media query on US-Pakistan relations and allegations linked to military support for terrorist groups, Rubio stressed that responsible nations routinely maintain tactical and diplomatic engagement with multiple countries while safeguarding core strategic partnerships.
“We have relations, and we work at the tactical level, for example, and in many other ways with countries all over the world. So does India. That’s what the responsible nation-states do,” Rubio said during a joint media interaction after high-level bilateral talks at Hyderabad House.
Drawing a clear line between tactical engagement and strategic alignment, Rubio added, “But I don’t view our relation with any country in the world as coming at the expense of our strategic alliance with India for the reasons I’ve outlined here already earlier today.”
The remarks appeared aimed at reassuring New Delhi amid growing debate over Washington’s renewed outreach to Islamabad and its parallel diplomatic engagement across South Asia following recent regional tensions. Rubio’s comments also came against the backdrop of concerns in India over American communication channels with both Pakistan and China during sensitive geopolitical developments in the region.
While refusing to directly address military-related allegations raised in the question, Rubio dismissed parts of the query and signaled that he would avoid commenting on defense matters. “That was a long question and said a lot of things I don’t agree with, and I’m not going to speak to the military,” he said.
Even as he sidestepped contentious security issues, Rubio repeatedly underscored the strength and continuity of India-US relations, pushing back against suggestions that bilateral ties needed a reset after recent friction over trade tariffs and regional diplomacy.
“Relations have not lost momentum,” Rubio said, adding that the partnership between the two democracies would emerge “much stronger in the coming years.”
The US Secretary of State also projected confidence over the prospects of a long-pending bilateral trade agreement, saying Washington remained hopeful that a deal could be concluded soon. He further described India and the United States as being “strategically aligned” on nearly all major global issues, reinforcing the broader geopolitical convergence that has increasingly defined ties between the two countries over the past decade.
Rubio’s remarks reflected Washington’s attempt to balance multiple regional relationships without unsettling one of its most critical strategic partnerships in the Indo-Pacific. The US has maintained counterterrorism cooperation with Pakistan for years, but American officials have recently indicated interest in expanding engagement with Islamabad into areas such as trade and critical minerals.
At the same time, Rubio appeared keen to signal that such outreach should not be interpreted as a dilution of ties with New Delhi. He described India as a “very mature” global actor that understands the practical realities of international diplomacy and the need for nations to maintain multi-layered engagements.
His visit to India is widely being seen as an important diplomatic effort to reinforce trust and strategic coordination after a phase marked by tariff-related tensions and evolving regional equations. The talks in New Delhi focused on strengthening the “Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership” between the two countries, with both sides emphasizing cooperation across trade, technology, defense, critical minerals and Indo-Pacific security.
Rubio’s categorical assertion that US engagement with Pakistan would not come at India’s expense is likely to be viewed in New Delhi as a carefully calibrated message intended to reassure a key strategic partner while preserving Washington’s room for maneuver in a volatile region.
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