Marco Rubio in India LIVE: Rubio visits Saint Teresa's Missionaries of Charity in Kolkata

While U.S. President Donald Trump rarely raises human rights, some elements of his base have expressed concerns over the treatment of Christians under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, making U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s choice of first stop highly symbolic.

Ahead of the trip, Mr. Rubio called India a “great ally, great partner” and said the United States would be looking to find ways to sell it more oil.

India’s fast-growing economy is reliant on energy imports and like many countries has been rattled by the U.S.-Israeli attack on Iran, which retaliated by choking off the strategic Strait of Hormuz, sending global oil prices soaring.

India has historic ties with Iran but also a growing relationship with Israel, which Modi visited just days before the war. 

But the conflict has also seen the re-emergence as a key U.S. partner of India’s traditional adversary Pakistan, which has positioned itself as a mediator, with its powerful army chief flying on Friday (May 22, 2026) to Tehran.

The United States was a Cold War partner of Pakistan but increasingly took a distance as it prioritized relations with India, seeing the world’s largest democracy as a natural partner in a global order marked by China’s rise. -- AFP

On U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s visit, Sister Concettina, the Secretary General of the Missionaries of Charity, says, “It was his initiative to come to the Mother House, and it was a joy for us to welcome him because he wanted to receive blessings at Mother’s tomb. We prayed together, and that is about all. Nothing else really happened... It was just like a family get-together.” -- ANI

The U.S. is “deeply committed” to the Quad — the grouping with India, Japan and Australia — and will continue to build on that in the year to come, Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said.

“...we’re also deeply committed to the Quad, the concept of in conjunction with Japan and India, the building out of this Quad, which is something you’ll see,” Mr. Rubio said on Monday (December 8, 2025).

We’re also deeply committed to the Quad, says Secretary of State Rubio

Secretary of State Marco Rubio emphasizes the U.S. commitment to strengthening the Quad partnership with India, Japan, and Australia.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio will arrive in India on Saturday (May 23, 2026) for a maiden four-day visit, aimed at repairing bilateral ties that have been under strain since mid-last year.

The top U.S. diplomat is scheduled to hold wide-ranging talks with External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, in addition to meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi and attending a meeting of the Quad Foreign Ministers in New Delhi.

Rubio's maiden India visit aims to repair strained ties; boost Quad cooperation

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio's India visit seeks to strengthen ties and enhance Quad cooperation amid recent strains.

Days after U.S. President Donald Trump’s visit to China, India will chair a meeting of the Quad’s Foreign Ministers on Tuesday (May 26, 2026), with talks about a “free and open Indo-Pacific” on the top of the agenda.

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar will host his counterparts from the U.S., Australia, and Japan on May 26, at the end of U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s bilateral visit to India. He has engagements in Delhi, Kolkata, Jaipur, and Agra, beginning Saturday (May 23, 2026).

Jaishankar to host Quad Foreign Ministers meet on May 26: MEA

Jaishankar to host Quad Foreign Ministers meet on May 26, discussing Indo-Pacific cooperation and key geopolitical issues.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and his wife Jeanette D. Rubio arrive at Kolkata Airport for their onward travel to Delhi. - ANI

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio along with his wife Jeanette D Rubio, on Saturday (May 23) arrived at Nirmala Shishu Bhavan Missionaries of Charity, in Kolkata. The Nirmala Shishu Bhavan is a network of specialised children’s homes managed by the Missionaries of Charity, the Roman Catholic religious congregation established by Mother Teresa in 1950. - ANI ​

U.S. Ambassador Sergio Gor wrote in a post on X, sharing moments from U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s visit to the Mother House in Kolkata, that “U.S.-India partnership rests not only on strong policies, but also on shared values and the spirit of selfless service that transcends borders.”

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio leaves from The Mother Teresa House Of The Missionaries of Charity in Kolkata. - ANI

In a post on X, U.S. Ambassador to India Sergio Gor said, “Secretary Marco Rubio has landed in Kolkata. This is his first trip to India. Later today, we will call on Prime Minister Modi in New Delhi. Trade, Technology, Defence, QUAD, and many other items to discuss and advance over the next few days!”.