New delhi: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi discussed deepening bilateral ties in the national capital New Delhi on Saturday. Rubio arrived in India early Saturday for his four-day trip to the South Asian nation.

According to Anadolu Agency, Modi expressed his satisfaction in receiving Rubio. "We discussed sustained progress in the India-US Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership and issues related to regional and global peace and security," Modi shared via US social media company X. He emphasized that India and the US will continue to work 'closely for the global good.'

US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor, who was also present at the meeting, described it as "a productive discussion on ways to deepen U.S.-India cooperation across security, trade, and critical technologies - areas that strengthen both our nations and advance a free and open Indo-Pacific." Gor further mentioned that Rubio extended an invitation, on behalf of US President Donald Trump, for Modi to visit the White House in the "near future."

A statement from Modi's office highlighted that Rubio briefed the Indian prime minister on the "sustained progress" in bilateral cooperation across a range of sectors, including defense and strategic technologies. Rubio also shared the US "perspective" on various regional and global issues, including the situation in the Middle East.

Earlier in the day, Rubio visited the Missionaries of Charity in Kolkata, founded by Mother Teresa. He wrote on X about the impactful legacy of Mother Teresa, stating, "I was honored to visit the Missionaries of Charity today to pay homage to her legacy and to see the living example of the Catholic faith in action."

This is Rubio's first trip to India, with planned visits to Agra and Jaipur. He is scheduled to hold discussions with his Indian counterpart S. Jaishankar on Sunday and participate in the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, known as the Quad, next week. The Quad, a partnership among the US, Australia, India, and Japan, was established in 2007, with the last leaders' summit held in the US in 2024.

Ahead of the visit, a US State Department statement indicated that Rubio would discuss "energy security, trade, and defense cooperation during meetings with senior Indian officials." In February, India and the US reached a framework for an interim agreement on trade to lower tariffs on Indian goods to 18% from 50%, linked to India's purchase of Russian oil.