External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar is expected to discuss the broad contours of the Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA) being discussed with the United States during his three-day visit to America, which began on Monday.
A Ministry of External Affairs press release said Jaishankar will visit the United States from February 2 to 4 to participate in the Critical Minerals Ministerial convened by Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
The ministerial will focus on supply chain resilience, clean energy transitions, and strategic cooperation in critical minerals.
During the visit, the minister will also hold meetings with senior members of the US administration, the release said.
The visit comes at a time when relations between India and the US are under strain in view of a plethora of issues, including the punitive tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump on Indian imports.
President Trump’s repeated claim that he brokered the ceasefire between India and Pakistan in May last year has also upset India, forcing it to clarify time and again that the ceasefire was worked out by the armies of the two countries.
The two countries have been negotiating the BTA since February last year. The Trump administration recently indicated that the two nations are now close to sealing the much-anticipated deal.