Jaishankar Meets Rubio Amid H-1B Visa Fee Hike Concerns ?

External Affairs Minister (EAM) S. Jaishankar will meet US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in New York on Monday on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) session, officials confirmed.They said the discussion will serve as a continuation of efforts to strengthen bilateral ties and bridge the differences that have emerged between the two countries in recent months.

This marks the third in-person meeting between Jaishankar and Rubio this year. Their last interaction took place on July 1 during the Quad Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Washington.

Prior to that, Jaishankar had met Rubio in January, just days after the latter assumed office, also on the sidelines of a Quad meeting in Washington.

Monday's dialogue is the first face-to-face engagement between the two leaders since relations between New Delhi and Washington came under strain over trade tariffs and India's purchase of Russian oil.

The tensions escalated after the United States imposed 50 per cent tariffs on Indian goods, which came into effect on August 27.

The meeting also coincides with a visit by Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal, who is leading a delegation to hold trade negotiations with Washington.

Jaishankar's meeting with his American counterpart is expected to be crucial, particularly in the backdrop of the Trump administration's recent decision to hike the H-1B visa fee.