U.S. DEPARTMENT of STATE
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Marco Rubio, Secretary of State
Mumbai, India
Taj Mahal Palace Hotel
Secretary of State Marco Rubio Remarks to the Press
Remarks
October 20, 2026
Secretary of State Marco Rubio Remarks to the Press
Remarks
October 20, 2026
QUESTION: So Mr. Secretary, this is your second visit with India in a couple of months, which is pretty remarkable. What are your intentions here? What is your goal? And if I may ask a second side question, do you have any hope of concluding the trade deal with India, between India and —
SECRETARY RUBIO: Well, first of all, I will point out that the foreign minister of India flew to the United States four times this year. This is the most populous country in the world, it’s the largest democracy in the world, it’s an important commercial partner and business partner of the United States. We also do a lot of defense cooperation. They’re a key member of the Quad. They’re a strong strategic partner. So I actually don’t think we come enough, and I think we need to have more – we have. We had – the Commerce Secretary’s been here, right?
STAFF: That’s right.
SECRETARY RUBIO: The FBI Director, the Vice President’s come, the Attorney General. So this is a very important partner for us. As far as the trade agreement is concerned, obviously the State Department doesn’t negotiate trade agreements, but we are very much involved in what’s happening. In my perch as National Security Advisor, we care a lot about it. We’re very, very close. I would say we’re about as close as you can be without (inaudible) agreement. I think there’s a small number of items to wrap up, so I think that will happen shortly – we’re hoping; it should. And hopefully I’ve got some good news to announce fairly soon, and perhaps (inaudible) can sign it thereafter.
We’re – we feel very optimistic that we will have something in place here very soon.
QUESTION: Sir, have you spoken to Zelenskyy recently? And is there any way for the U.S. and Ukraine to repair its ties after this recent spat?
SECRETARY RUBIO: I spoke to him today. We had a 45-minute conversation. Look, I’m seeing a lot of things in the media that are not accurate, so let me clear those up – as I did in my conversation with him. One is the Department of War, everything they’ve been doing with Ukraine, remains the same. That has not changed.
QUESTION: Including PURL?
SECRETARY RUBIO: Nothing has changed. I mean, PURL’s a program in which when things are available for sale or sold to the Europeans, we in turn transfer it to them. But I’ll get to munitions in a moment. The second is intelligence sharing. The President made it very clear he’s ordered no such changes. So none of that has changed; none of it. And I see reporting that it has, but it’s just not accurate. It’s not true. And so that was important to clarify.
Now, you ask about sales. I know one of the things that President Zelenskyy has been talking about is that he’s been trying to buy interceptors, and I understand. So does every other country in the world. I also talked to Saudi Arabia today; they’d like interceptors. Israel would like interceptors. We would like interceptors. Every country in the world would like interceptors, and many parts of the world are asking for that. It’s probably the most in-demand product right now in the defense field. So when a country doesn’t get interceptors from the United States, it’s not that we’ve denied it. We have our own needs too. We have minimum standards that we have to meet internally in our base presence all over the world. That includes in our bases in Europe, as an example. There’s minimum standards that our defense department, our Department of War, requires to protect these facilities, and obviously in the Middle East.
So all of this is being managed. I know if you want – if you view Ukraine or you view any issue through a straw, and say I’m only focused on this one issue – well, you can’t do that. That’s not how foreign policy and defense policy’s made. It has to all be balanced in conjunction with one another. We have a global defense footprint, and many of our installations around the world require defense, the air defense.
So there’s nothing being deliberately denied to Ukraine. It’s simply – it’s a balance between our obligations to other partners, and frankly our own standards and requirements for our own facilities as well.
QUESTION: Just to —
QUESTION: As you mention, the Saudis have asked for interceptors. Are you in a position – is the U.S. in a position to provide interceptors for every country in the world that needs them, or do you naturally need to —
SECRETARY RUBIO: No, we’ve never been – no, no, we’ve never been in the position. These interceptors are expensive to make. They’re the best in the world, they work incredibly well, but they’re expensive. They take time to make. Now, the good news is that our production rate is increasing rapidly. You’ve seen that now, and I think we feel very good about our stockpile of multiple munitions, including interceptors. But it takes time to build these things up. It takes time to make them. These are highly sophisticated machinery, which obviously is what makes them so good, but also so hard to make.
So in the case of Saudi Arabia in particular, we obviously have an airfield presence there, and so we defend that presence. We’re doing other things to help them; other countries are as well. I’m just using – I’m not pointing to Saudi Arabia as a vulnerability. I’m pointing it to you as an example, that virtually in every conversation I have today with some counterpart around the world revolves on one of two things. Number one is the desire for air interceptors, and number two is trade. I can help them a little bit on the interceptors; on the trade, that’s not my portfolio, but I obviously know it impacts our bilateral relations in multiple ways.
QUESTION: Just to put a fine point on that, Mr. Secretary, what Zelenskyy has said and what’s been reported in some media outlets is that there was a batch of interceptors that was purchased by European (inaudible) by PURL that was awaiting – that is awaiting a final signature from Secretary Hegseth, and it has not received that signature and as such it hasn’t gone to Ukraine. Is that inaccurate?
SECRETARY RUBIO: No, I was talking – it could be the case, because these things are always reviewed through the context of whether they’re needed somewhere else, or whether even they need to remain in Europe. We do have bases in Europe; our partners do as well. You recently saw, for example – and I’m not just pointing to this, this is something that’s emerging – but you saw a threat against an airfield in the UK. We have other large air presences in the region. And then we have minimum requirements – not only (inaudible) but as part of our NATO presence. So all these things are balanced on a daily basis.
I think the important takeaway from you is that there has not been some deliberate political directive to go out and harm Ukraine. This is just not accurate. Even this talk about I think on the 13th and again on the 18th there were air strikes in Ukraine that were not detected – that is not because America did not provide information. I saw somebody associated with the Ukrainian Government say that people in Ukraine are denying because the U.S. is denying them information. That’s scandalous. That’s outrageous. That’s just simply not true. That’s not accurate.
Now, that there was a problem identified, that perhaps there was an internal issue in terms of them being able to take the information that was being provided and systemize and react to it? That’s possible. We’re looking at it. Our understanding is that to the extent that happened on the 13th and on the 18th, it was a technical matter. It was not the result of any sort of U.S. directive not to provide advance warning of a strike. And we are providing the same warnings to them now that we always have.
QUESTION: And so what’s going on with the U.S.-Ukraine relationship? I mean, intel sharing, Starlink, interceptors – I mean, it seems like —
SECRETARY RUBIO: Well, Starlink is a private commercial company.
QUESTION: Right, right. But it seems like there are some serious tensions between U.S. and Ukraine. What is at the core of that?
SECRETARY RUBIO: Well, there’s no doubt, and that’s why we had that call today.
QUESTION: Why is this happening now?
SECRETARY RUBIO: Well, we had a call today. I think at it’s core is the President is frustrated, because he – first of all, he doesn’t like to be blamed for things that aren’t true, including accusations that somehow he had ordered intelligence sharing to be cut off. And that’s not true; he’s said that repeatedly.
All of that said, I think the President understands – and has said consistently from the very beginning – that the way this war needs to end is with a negotiated deal, and he wants to make one. And he wants both sides to come to an agreement. And so I certainly – but I think the President more than anything was responding to the insinuation that somehow he is doing things to deliberately harm Ukraine, which is not fair and not true.
QUESTION: So it’s not about —
SECRETARY RUBIO: But he’s most certainly angry and frustrated at the lack of progress in those negotiations, after having dedicated almost two years to them now.
QUESTION: So it’s not about the energy strikes? Ukraine strikes on energy sites in Russia?
SECRETARY RUBIO: Oh, well, that’s a – there’s no doubt, we’ve expressed – but we’ve openly expressed to you repeatedly that we don’t think their energy strikes, for example, on shipping in the Black Sea – it goes back months now that we’ve been complaining about that. We had American companies (inaudible) – what are we supposed to do when an American company calls and says we’ve had our cargo struck, and it’s happened multiple times? So that was an irritant, there’s no doubt about it.
I think there’s no – there’s also the reality that the combination – it’s not just what’s happening there. The Straits of Hormuz, there are nights where as much oil gets through there as pre-conflict, and most nights it’s at least 70 or 80 percent of it. But it’s not just the Straits of Hormuz anymore; it’s pipelines in Saudi Arabia that have been targeted by the Houthis, and it is the war between Russia and Ukraine, and the attacks on refining capabilities that’s putting pressure – not on the United States alone. You travel to any country in the world, and they will tell you that they’re having a diesel problem, that there’s a diesel problem in terms of access to affordable diesel that so much of their economies are powered by. There are multiple countries around the world that are facing a very dangerous situation there.
So of course we’re concerned about what they strike. Which is one of the reasons why this war needs to end, among others. One of the reasons why this war needs to end is because too many people are dying. One of the reasons why this war needs to end is because Ukraine’s electric grid is being devastated. One of the reasons this war needs to end is because every month 20- or 25,000 Russians are slaughtered in – as they try to advance in Ukraine. All these are bad things. Mass death of this – the destruction, the death of civilians in Kyiv, as we’ve seen with some of these ballistic missile strikes. This is a terrible, bloody, nasty war that needs to come to an end, and I don’t know anyone in the world who disagrees with what I’m saying. And we’re trying to do the best we can to sort of bring both parties to a place where this war can end in a negotiated way, because right now as it currently stands, not only will more people continue to die and more things continue to be destroyed, but there’s a very real risk – there’s the real risk here of escalation, of it spreading to some other place.
QUESTION: On the – one the subject of energy, what role can India play in terms of meeting the world’s energy demand? Can it – can companies, Indian companies refine more Venezuelan crude? Are there —
SECRETARY RUBIO: They can, and we’ll talk about that tomorrow with Reliance. They’ve done so in the past. They have the capability to refine heavy crude. They’ve done so in the past, and I think as more and more Venezuelan oil comes online, it’s something they can do. Refining capacity – it’s not just being able to produce oil. I think what a lot of people who have become experts in the energy field over the last few months are just learning, because of this conflict, refining capability’s a key part of it. And India’s a refining superpower, and they have the ability to do that. They have companies that know how to do that.
They also, by the way, have (inaudible) oil concessions in Venezuela; they can produce more themselves. So all these are positive things. And I’m not claiming to you that Venezuela alone can fill the hole that could be caused by some of the things that are happening around the world, but I think over time it most certainly can, and in the short term it can somewhat provide relief. So that’s one of the things we’ll talk about with India. We talked about it in the past, and they sound ready to – they have – they are really – they’re ready to do it, they’re willing to do it. There might be a few impediments that stand in the way in terms of sanctions and so forth that we have to work through, pre-existing sanctions on the Maduro regime.
QUESTION: Sir, President Trump suggested he was open to a summit with Xi and Putin, to talk not only about Ukraine, he said, but also nuclear issues. Do you have indications that China is open to discussion on arms control issues?
SECRETARY RUBIO: Well, the only way you’re going to find out is to try. I mean, I know what they’ve historically said. But I don’t know why it would be a surprise – I think we – I think it’s time for – I’m not saying you individually, but people need to grow up when it comes to foreign policy a little bit, okay? It is – I don’t think it’s unusual, frankly, for the three most powerful nuclear armed nations on Earth, for their leaders to communicate with one another. I think it makes all the sense in the world. They may have strong disagreements about – we also have a President, rightfully so, who does not consider talking to someone to be a concession. I hear people on TV – oh, you’re rewarding so-and-so by talking to them. Well, that’s absurd.
For example, how are you going to reach a peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine if you don’t talk to Russia and Ukraine? You have to talk to them, right? So I mean, that’s the bottom line of diplomacy and negotiations. You have to be able to speak to the other side.
So I don’t think it’s – frankly, I think if there’s an opportunity, the President’s expressed an openness to do it for the United States, Russia, and China at the leader level to have a conversation about things like arms control, that would be a very positive thing for the world. That should be something the world is enthused by.
Now, I imagine there’s a lot of differences and disagreements between the three countries that are probably not going to be resolved in a summit like that. But there are a lot of important topics, and I think the world is a safer place when the leaders of the most powerful nuclear arsenals in the world are at least communicating with one another.
So I don’t know if China’s willing to discuss it. I know what they’ve historically said, that they’ll talk about it when they catch up with everybody else. But I think the fact we have a President that was willing to try is a good thing, something Americans should be proud and happy about.
QUESTION: Mr. Secretary, tomorrow you’re going to Jamnagar, or – see where the Reliance Industries and their refinery, and the CEO of that. Why is a U.S. Secretary of State to see the CEO of a refinery?
SECRETARY RUBIO: Well, we just – there’s – I believe somebody just asked me a question about whether – I think you just asked me a question about whether that’s —
QUESTION: On energy, yes, yes.
SECRETARY RUBIO: — we look at refine, and I just answered to you that in order to – for energy to become usable you have to refine it. And so you have a company with a massive amount of refining capability – I think I should go talk to them, especially when it involves nation states, oil from another country, as Secretary of State.
I’m also here in my capacity as the National Security Advisor. And so I have (inaudible) for everyone, and that is that energy is related to national security. Countries fight wars over energy, as an example. Economies collapse over lack of energy. So we’re going to go see a company that has a tremendous amount of refining capability, so it makes all the sense in the world to talk to them about it. And again, there’s – it’s very difficult to understand someone or see what the possibilities are if you’re not going to speak to them.
QUESTION: To jump in on the oil, the Trump Administration said last year that they were upset with the amount of Russian oil that India was purchasing. India, obviously, buys less oil than it did, but it’s still the number two purchaser in the world. Are you satisfied with the degree to which India has reduced its Russian oil —
SECRETARY RUBIO: Yeah, I mean, India – first of all, I think what India has expressed repeatedly is their desire to diversify their energy portfolio, which is a smart thing to do. Obviously, it’s not easy to do that from one day to the next. So I think they’ve made substantial progress in that regard, and we’re happy to see that. But in the end, it’s not just about Russian oil; it’s about their desire to diversify. And obviously, we think it could be a source of some of their energy inputs. Obviously, we’ve discussed Venezuela and other countries, and I think it’s in our interest to have a strong ally who has a diverse energy portfolio.
QUESTION: And you are going to – just to clarify – you are going to talk to Reliance, encourage them to enter production in Venezuela?
SECRETARY RUBIO: Well, we’re going to – I mean, we’ve talked to them about it in the past. We’re going to go see what their hold-up is and what opportunities exist. Obviously, I’m not going to – we’ll see how the conversation goes. But you guys – this is a company that has had a presence in Venezuela in the past, and its refining capabilities are substantial.
STAFF: All right, thank you guys. Thank you, press.
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