‘India is one of top relationships’: Marco Rubio says New Delhi is 'at the core' of US Indo-Pacific strategy

'India is one of top relationships': says Marco Rubio

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio described India as one of America’s most important global partners, saying Washington is undergoing an “extraordinary transition” in its ties with New Delhi.

Addressing the Senate Foreign Relations Committee during the confirmation hearing of ambassador-designate Sergio Gor, Rubio underlined the strategic weight of the partnership. He said India is “one of the top relationships the US has in the world today,” calling it central to shaping the 21st-century world order.

“India is one of the top relationships the US has in the world today, in terms of the future, what the world is going to look like," he said, adding that Washington was in a period of “extraordinary transition" in its ties with India.

#WATCH | US Secretary of State Marco Rubio says, "... Sergio Gor is the nominee to India (as US Ambassador), which is the top relationships that the US has in the world today, in terms of the future what the world's going to look like... In the 21st century, the story is going to… pic.twitter.com/1i8721J1xL

— ANI (@ANI) September 11, 2025

Rubio told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that in the 21st century, “the story is going to be written in the Indo-Pacific. In fact, it's so important that we've actually changed the name of the combatant command of the Indo-Pacific. India is at the core of that. And we are in a period of extraordinary transition in that relationship with India. We've got some really important issues coming up that we need to work with them on and work through on that implicate what's happening from Ukraine, but also implicate what's happening in the region.”

He introduced ambassador-designate Sergio Gor at his confirmation hearing, and Rubio said he has known him for a long time.

Last month, President Donald Trump nominated Gor, currently serving as Director of Presidential Personnel, to be the next US Ambassador to India and Special Envoy for South and Central Asian Affairs.