Rubio Calls UN Experts an ‘Oxymoron’, Says India Protests Are Domestic Matter
By Anjali Sharma
WASHINGTON – US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday dismissed the term “UN experts” as an “oxymoron” when asked about UN criticism of New Delhi’s handling of recent protests against the Election Commission of India, stated Washington would not interfere in the country’s “domestic political affairs”.
Rubio said the country’s political issues are for its people to resolve. “Well, the UN experts, my favourite. The UN expert is an oxymoron,” he said when asked about allegations by UN experts of a crackdown on Opposition activists and students protesting in India.
“This is a democracy. They have elections here, so I’m not going to opine on their domestic political matters,” he added.
Rubio said that public protests and the expression of differing political views were features of democratic societies. He cited his own country where protests take place regularly, and contrasted India’s political environment with Cuba where, he said, Opposition groups could not operate freely without facing imprisonment, repression or exile.
“But we’re not going to comment on internal political matters. That’s for the Indian people to decide and navigate,” Rubio said.
The remarks came as Washington and New Delhi are providing momentum to their diplomatic efforts to finalize a trade deal that includes negotiations on energy cooperation and defence relations high on the agenda during his ongoing visit to India.
Rubio and Jaishankar met in Mumbai and they discussed ways to deepen cooperation in trade, energy, technology and defence, as well as regional and global developments, including West Asia.
The visit came as India and the US seek to revive trade negotiations that have been stalled for months after disagreements over American tariffs and India’s purchases of Russian oil.
US President Donald Trump said the two countries were close to reach an agreement after more than a year of negotiations, although he indicated that the deal would differ from previous US trade pacts.
“They want to make a deal. We’re going to make a deal. Pretty close, yeah,” Trump told reporters at the Oval Office.
Rubio also said the negotiations were nearing completion, with only a few issues remaining.
“We are very, very close. I would say we’re about as close as you can be without having executed the agreement,” he said in Mumbai on Tuesday.
“I think there’s a small number of items left to wrap up, so I think that will happen shortly.”
Washington imposed tariffs of up to 50 per cent on most Indian goods in August 2025 after trade talks broke down.
A framework agreed in February reduced the tariff rate to 18 per cent, but negotiations have since stalled.
Rubio on his visit to Reliance Industries’ refinery in Jamnagar, Gujarat, said the visit would provide an opportunity to examine the company’s operations and discuss its international presence as energy increasingly shapes geopolitical decisions.
He described Reliance as a major energy company with substantial refining capacity and a significant investment presence in the US.
Rubio also highlighted the company’s ability to process heavy crude produced in the Western Hemisphere, including Venezuelan oil, saying the issue could feature in discussions.
“Through our conversations we’ll hopefully identify other opportunities to partner and work together,” he added.
