The Briefing
- Secretary Rubio landed in Mumbai on Tuesday calling India a "refining superpower," with his delegation set to meet Wednesday at Reliance's Jamnagar complex — the world's largest single-site refinery — to discuss routing Venezuelan heavy crude through India's processing infrastructure.
- Three days before Rubio's arrival, President Trump signed an executive order waiving virtually all provisions of the Graham Act, neutralizing a potential 100% tariff threat against major Russian crude importers including India, a move analysts say keeps India's near-term Russian oil purchases stable.
- The visit is Rubio's second India trip of 2026; he described the U.S.-India trade agreement as nearing its final stage, with an 18% interim tariff framework already in place, while noting that Indian state companies hold existing concessions in Venezuela that could expand production under U.S. oversight of the country's oil sector.
