US ties with Pakistan don't come at expense of India partnership: Marco Rubio

New Delhi: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Sunday asserted that Washington’s relations with Pakistan do not come at the cost of its strategic partnership with India, emphasizing the importance of the India-US alliance.

Speaking during a joint press briefing alongside External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, Rubio said it is natural for responsible nations to maintain diplomatic and tactical engagements with multiple countries.

“As far as our relations with other countries, yeah, we have relations and we work at the tactical level, for example, and in many other ways with countries all over the world. So does India. That’s what responsible nation states do,” Rubio said in response to a question on US ties with Pakistan.

The US Secretary of State stressed that Washington’s engagement with Islamabad should not be viewed as undermining its growing strategic alliance with New Delhi.

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“But I don't view our relation with any country in the world as coming at the expense of our strategic alliance with India for the reasons I've outlined here already earlier today,” he added.

Rubio’s remarks come amid expanding cooperation between India and the United States across sectors such as defence, trade, critical technologies and Indo-Pacific security.

The comments also follow External Affairs Minister Jaishankar’s remarks describing India’s foreign policy as one of “multi-alignment,” where New Delhi maintains ties with a range of global partners based on national interests and strategic priorities.

Speaking alongside Rubio in the national capital, India's EAM said India’s diplomatic engagements are shaped by practical interests and the changing global order.

“Because our interests are growing, we have relationships with all the parties involved,” Jaishankar said while responding to a question.

Referring to the ongoing Ukraine conflict, the minister highlighted India’s ability to maintain ties with different stakeholders despite geopolitical tensions.

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“We are seeing this in the Ukraine conflict as well, where we have very strong relations with Russia, we have it with Europe, we have it with Ukraine as well, we have it with the United States, and then the question is how do you manage all of them?” he said.

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