‘Petroleum is useless without refining’: Rubio on Jamnagar visit, what does US want?

He said increasing Venezuelan oil supplies could help ease the pressure on global energy markets, although Venezuela alone cannot make up for all the supply shortages. f “They can, and we’ll talk about that tomorrow with Reliance,” Rubio told reporters at the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel in Mumbai on Tuesday, when asked whether Indian companies could refine more Venezuelan crude. “They’ve done so in the past.

They have the capability to refine heavy crude.” 5 billion impact of Indian-American businesses revealed ahead of Rubio talks in Mumbai Rubio also said the long-pending India-US trade agreement was close to completion, with only a few technical issues left to resolve. In an interview with Network18, he said the deal could be finalised in “weeks, not months”. His remarks come as Washington looks to reduce India's dependence on Russian oil and encourage it to diversify its energy supplies.

US President Donald Trump recently waived a 100% tariff on the top five importers of Russian oil, a group that includes India, as the two countries continue negotiations over a trade deal. Rubio is on his second visit to India in 2026. He arrived in Mumbai for a three-day trip and met Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis at the Gateway of India before holding talks with External Affairs Minister S.

Jaishankar. Why Rubio wants Reliance to refine more Venezuelan crude Rubio said India's refining capacity could play an important role as countries deal with pressure on global energy supplies. He stressed that producing crude oil is not enough, as it must also be processed into fuel and other usable products. “Refining capacity – it’s not just being able to produce oil,” he said. “Refining capability’s a key part of it.

And India’s a refining superpower, and they have the ability to do that.” However, Rubio cautioned that Venezuelan oil would not be enough to make up for all the supply shortages facing the world. “I’m not claiming to you that Venezuela alone can fill the hole that could be caused by some of the things that are happening around the world,” he said. “But I think over time it most certainly can, and in the short term it can somewhat provide relief.”

Rubio said Washington had discussed the issue with Indian companies before and believed they were willing to process more Venezuelan oil. “We talked about it in the past, and they sound ready to – they’re ready to do it, they’re willing to do it,” he said. Rubio said Indian companies with oil concessions in Venezuela could increase production, but existing US sanctions on Nicolás Maduro’s government remain an obstacle.

He said Washington would discuss Reliance’s concerns and explore opportunities, adding that the company had operated in Venezuela before and had substantial refining capacity. Why the US wants to visit Reliance's Jamnagar refinery In an interview with Network18, Rubio explained why Reliance was an important part of his visit. “Reliance is a very important company and has extraordinary capacity to refine energy.

Petroleum is useless if you don’t refine it into a usable product,” he said. Rubio said Reliance could help India diversify its energy supplies as Venezuela increases production. “We think there’s an opportunity for them to continue to help India diversify its supply chain, its supply of energy. For example, Venezuela is increasing its production of energy, and India has had a long history of being able to refine some of that,” he said.

He also pointed out that Reliance is “one of the few companies that’s actually invested in refining capacity in the United States”. When asked why the US Secretary of State would visit the head of a refining company, Rubio said the issue involved both international relations and national security. “You have a company with a massive amount of refining capability – I think I should go talk to them, especially when it involves nation-states, oil from another country, as Secretary of State,” he said.

He added that he was also visiting in his role as National Security Advisor. “Energy is related to national security. Countries fight wars over energy, for example. Economies collapse over lack of energy. So we’re going to go see a company that has a tremendous amount of refining capability, so it makes all the sense in the world to talk to them about it.” Venezuela offers India another option as US pressures it over Russian oil The proposed cooperation with Venezuela comes as Washington continues to press India over its purchases of Russian crude oil.

Reliance's Jamnagar refinery on the Gujarat coast has the technology needed to handle this grade of crude. This makes Jamnagar a potential destination for Venezuelan oil supplies. For Washington, the arrangement could connect oil production under US control with a major refinery capable of processing the crude into usable fuel. For India, Venezuelan oil could provide another source of energy at a time when its purchases of Russian crude have drawn pressure from the US.

“Which is a smart thing to do,” he said. “Obviously, it’s not easy to do that from one day to the next,” Rubio added. “So I think they’ve made substantial progress in that regard, and we’re happy to see that. But in the end, it’s not just about Russian oil; it’s about their desire to diversify.” Rubio said the US wants India to diversify its energy supplies, calling it an important ally. Trump recently waived a proposed 100% tariff on major Russian oil buyers, including India, with the India-US trade deal among the factors behind the decision. Rubio said Washington was balancing sanctions on Russia with its broader ties with India, noting that shifting away from Russian oil would take time.