US secretary of state Marco Rubio arrived in India on Saturday for a four-day visit. The trip is focused on strengthening strategic ties, boosting cooperation under the Quad alliance, and advancing discussions on trade, defence and energy security.US Secretary Marco Rubio visits Missionary Of Charity in Kolkata on May 23. (Samir Jana/HT)Rubio's flight landed in Kolkata, starting his first official visit to India since taking office. US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor welcomed Rubio. “Honored to welcome my friend [Rubio] to India,” he wrote on X.“We have an ambitious agenda ahead, including the Quad Foreign Ministers Meeting, focused on advancing [US President’s] vision for an even stronger US-India partnership. Looking forward to great conversations and making real progress together!”Rubio is expected to hold bilateral talks with external affairs minister S Jaishankar ahead of the Quad Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in New Delhi on May 26. He will meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi at 2 pm today.In another post, Gor said, “Secretary Marco Rubio has landed in Kolkata. This is his first trip to India. Later today, we will call on Prime Minister @narendramodi in New Delhi. Trade, Technology, Defense, QUAD, and many other items to discuss and advance over the next few days!”The trip comes at a sensitive moment in India-US relations, with Washington looking to steady ties after friction over American President Donald Trump’s tariff measures on Indian exports.Rubio to meet PM Modi todayRubio’s itinerary includes visits to Kolkata, Agra, Jaipur and New Delhi.In Kolkata, he is scheduled to visit Mother House, headquarters of the Missionaries of Charity founded by Mother Teresa, along with a children’s home run by the organisation.He will later travel to New Delhi for a meeting with PM Modi. Later in the evening, Rubio is scheduled to speak at the dedication ceremony of the US Embassy Support Annex Building and attend a reception at Roosevelt House hosted by Sergio Gor.“There’s a lot to work on with India, they’re a great ally and partner. We do a lot of good work with them so this is an important trip,” Rubio said before departing for India.What's on Marco Rubio's agenda?Rubio’s four-day India visit is expected to focus on the Quad partnership, energy security, defence cooperation, trade and critical technologies.The visit coincides with the Quad foreign ministers’ meeting involving India, the US, Japan and Australia. Dicussions are expected to centre on Indo-Pacific coordination, defence cooperation, emerging technologies and supply-chain resilience amid concerns over China’s growing influence in the region.Energy security is set to be a key issue during the visit. India continues to buy discounted Russian oil, while the US is pushing to increase LNG and crude exports to India. Instability in the Gulf regions and concerns over global energy flows factor in.Trade and investment discussions are also expected amid ongoing tariff disputes and friction over sanctions. Officials are likely to explore interim agreements and broader cooperation in sectors linked to semiconductors, batteries and critical minerals.Defence cooperation will feature prominently in the talks. India already operates several US-origin defence platforms, including Boeing P-8 Poseidon aircraft, MQ-9B SkyGuardian drones, M777 howitzers and C-17 Globemaster III transport aircraft.Beyond defence purchases, both sides are expected to discuss co-production of military systems and collaboration in artificial intelligence, semiconductors and space technology.