US Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with India’s Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar on Monday, as both countries sought to advance trade discussions and defuse tensions following Washington’s recent tariff hikes.

The meeting, held on the sidelines of a Southeast Asian summit in Malaysia, marked the highest-level contact between the two nations since the United States imposed sanctions last week on Russian oil companies — a crucial source of India’s energy imports.

Jaishankar shared a photo of the meeting on social media, noting that he “appreciated the discussion on our bilateral ties as well as regional and global issues.”

Relations between Washington and New Delhi have soured in recent months, particularly after President Donald Trump raised tariffs on Indian goods to 50 percent, accusing India of indirectly supporting Russia’s war in Ukraine by purchasing Moscow’s discounted oil.

Trump, who spoke with Prime Minister Narendra Modi by phone last week, claimed that Modi had agreed to cut Russian oil imports — an assertion that Indian officials have not confirmed. “If they want to say that conversation didn’t happen,” Trump said aboard Air Force One, “then they’ll just continue to pay massive tariffs.”

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India has emerged as the largest buyer of seaborne Russian oil, capitalizing on discounted prices since Western nations imposed sanctions on Moscow following its 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

In response to US pressure, India’s Foreign Ministry reiterated that it was not aware of any such call between the two leaders and emphasized that New Delhi’s foremost priority remained “to safeguard the interests of the Indian consumer.”

The latest diplomatic exchange underscores the delicate balance India faces — maintaining strategic autonomy and securing affordable energy, while managing its critical ties with the United States amid a shifting global geopolitical landscape.