- Published
The western Indian port town of Jamnagar is not a usual stop for foreign leaders, yet it featured prominently in US Secretary of State Marco Rubio's recent visit.
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it → publish → visit
So, why did Rubio visit the town?
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Rubio → visit → town
And, more importantly, why did he skip the Indian capital, Delhi?
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he → skip → capital
The answer to both questions may have less to do with India and more to do with Donald Trump administration's domestic compulsions – or, more precisely, its domestic oil needs.
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answer → have → compulsions
Rubio arrived in the financial capital Mumbai on Tuesday, where he met Indian Foreign Minister S Jaishankar and some of the country's top business leaders.
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he → arrive → leaders
He officially ended his trip in Jamnagar - in the western state of Gujarat - home to the giant oil refinery owned by one of Asia's richest men, Mukesh Ambani.
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He → end → men
It was his second trip to the country this year and experts say what is significant this time is the timing of the visit as well as his choice of destinations.
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is → say → destinations
The Trump administration is under pressure to keep fuel prices in check ahead of November's US midterm elections, while rising tensions in the Middle East threaten global energy supplies.
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tensions → keep → supplies
With little new refining capacity expected in the immediate future in the US, India's ability to process large volumes of crude oil offers Washington a potential way to ease pressure on the fuel markets.
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ability → expect → markets
And that puts Reliance's Jamnagar refinery at the centre of the equation.
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that → put → equation
The visit, however, comes at a tricky moment in India-US relations.
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visit → come → relations
Trump has imposed tariffs on Indian goods, there are sanctions against Delhi for buying Russian energy (though currently paused) and there is a trade deal between the two countries that has remained elusive for around 20 months now.
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that → impose → months
Announcing the visit, the US State Department had earlier said that it would focus on energy cooperation, commercial investment and economic ties.
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it → announce → cooperation
The official itinerary also did not include Delhi, which raised some questions, especially from Indian opposition politicians.
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which → include → politicians
But analysts say the choice was strategic.
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choice → say → ?
Officials there are unhappy with a number of decisions and policies from Trump's administration," Michael Kugelman, a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council, told the BBC.
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Kugelman → tell → BBC
But former Indian ambassador to the US, Meera Shankar, cautions against reading too much into him skipping the capital.
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him → caution → capital
"This was primarily an energy-focused visit," she says.
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she → focus → ?
"And after all, Rubio did meet the foreign minister in Mumbai."
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Rubio → meet → Mumbai
The meeting between the two foreign ministers at the Taj Hotel covered trade, investment, energy security and defence cooperation, according to official statements.
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meeting → cover → statements
India's foreign ministry also said both sides welcomed progress in trade negotiations and reaffirmed their commitment to concluding a deal, which has long been in the works.
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which → say → works
But once the diplomatic meetings were over, Rubio headed to Jamnagar, where the crown jewel of the Ambani business empire is located.
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jewel → head → empire
This came to define the trip.
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This → come → trip
Shankar says the refinery visit "showed how much importance the US is attaching to getting more refined fuel into the market before the November midterms".
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US → say → midterms
Reliance's Jamnagar complex can process about 1.4 million barrels of crude oil a day, roughly 1.5% of global refining capacity, according to the company website.
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complex → process → website
It is also a major exporter of diesel and other petroleum products, giving it a crucial role in global fuel markets.
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It → give → markets
During a tightly controlled visit on Wednesday, with limited media access, Rubio toured the facility and met members of the Ambani family, including Mukesh Ambani.
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Rubio → control → Ambani
The company later released a statement, saying, "the visit included wide-ranging discussions on the global energy landscape and opportunities for commercial partnerships across conventional and new energy".
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visit → release → energy
It, however, did not specifically address any commitments to buy crude oil or supply refined products.
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It → address → products
Just a day earlier, while speaking to the press, Rubio had called India a "refining superpower" and said the US wanted Reliance to process more Venezuelan oil.
"They have the capability to refine heavy crude.
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They → speak → crude
They've done so in the past, and I think as more and more Venezuelan oil comes online, that's something they could do," he told reporters.
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he → do → reporters
Rubio added that oil from Venezuela "can certainly provide relief" in the short term and can possibly help ease supply pressures amid tensions in the Middle East.
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oil → add → East
Reliance was once among the largest buyers of Venezuelan crude before US sanctions disrupted trade.
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sanctions → disrupt → trade
After Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro was captured in a US intervention earlier this year and Washington eased sanctions on the country's energy sector, Reliance re-emerged as a major importer.
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Reliance → capture → importer
Experts also say the visit might ease some tensions in the Delhi-Washington relationship over India's purchase of Russian oil.
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visit → say → oil
India became one of the biggest buyers of Russian oil since Moscow invaded Ukraine in 2022.
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Moscow → become → 2022
Between December 2022 and July 2026, it accounted for 37% of Russia's crude oil exports, according to the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA).
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it → account → Energy
And Reliance was among the Indian companies that processed Russian crude.
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that → process → crude
In August 2025, US President Donald Trump imposed an additional 25% tariff on Indian goods over its Russian oil purchases, taking total tariffs on many Indian goods to 50%.
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Trump → impose → %
The US, however, withdrew the additional penalty in February 2026 but India's import of Russian oil has continued to be an irritant in Washington-Delhi ties.
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import → withdraw → ties
…and 19 more, not listed.
The Aporia
