External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said India and the US reviewed bilateral ties, global conflicts and critical mineral cooperation during high-level meetings in Washington.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar speaks at the Critical Minerals Ministerial, in Washington DC. (Photo: IANS/X/@DrSJaishankar)
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Wednesday said India and the United States carried out a wide-ranging review of their bilateral partnership during his meetings in Washington, alongside discussions on major global conflicts and regional tensions.
Speaking on the sidelines of the Critical Minerals Ministerial in the US capital, Jaishankar said the conversations went beyond routine diplomacy and focused on how both sides plan to work together through the year ahead.
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“We did a fairly detailed review of our bilateral cooperation,” he said. “It’s natural when foreign ministers meet that you discuss the diplomatic agenda. Also, the calendar — what do we expect each one of us to do this year together.”
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He added that global issues inevitably formed part of the talks. “We discussed the world, we discussed our relationship, and it was a very open sort of forthcoming conversation,” Jaishankar said, referring to exchanges on the Indo-Pacific, West Asia, Gaza and the Ukraine conflict.
Jaishankar is in the US to attend the Critical Minerals Ministerial hosted by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, a gathering that brought together representatives from nearly 50 countries.
Calling the meeting “productive and outcome-oriented”, the External Affairs Minister said India had backed the newly launched FORGE initiative — the Forum on Resource, Geostrategic Engagement — which succeeds the Mineral Security Partnership.
“Critical minerals are a very important subject; the US has been a partner for some years,” he said. “Today, they have launched a new edition — FORGE — which we have supported.”
Earlier, addressing the ministerial, Jaishankar warned that “excessive concentration” in critical mineral supply chains poses a serious global risk. He said the answer lies in countries working together in a more organised way, so supply chains are not left vulnerable to sudden shocks or over-dependence on a few players.
The comments come at a moment when India is moving from planning to action in the strategic minerals space. Its engagement with US-led frameworks is no longer just about intent. It is about building capacity on the ground.
The 2026 Budget’s proposal for dedicated rare earth corridors underlines that change. The aim is no longer limited to securing raw materials. It is about processing them at home, building magnet manufacturing capacity, and strengthening industries further down the value chain.
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