00:00Pranay Upadhyay of India Today Global is also joining us on this broadcast.
00:05Pranay, the reason this interview right now is being spoken of to this length is also the timing.
00:11You know, you've got for the first time a reaction from the U.S. Secretary on talks,
00:16the possibility of talks with Russia and Ukraine.
00:19You've been getting reactions from Putin, from Zelensky on this saying we're open to having a conversation.
00:24And for the first time we're going to hear from Rubio on that as well.
00:28You know, kind of paving the way for the dialogue to take place.
00:31And that's why the world currently will be watching to see what Secretary Rubio says.
00:35Absolutely right, Akshita.
00:36In fact, India also has emerged as an important link in this conversation.
00:42Because recently you heard President Vladimir Putin acknowledging the fact that Indian leadership has an interesting idea to end this
00:49conflict.
00:50You have heard the acknowledgement coming from Kiev saying that, you know, India, Turkey and Egypt,
00:54along with the United States, have also submitted their proposal to end this conflict.
00:59So obviously India remained part of this conversation.
01:01And on the sidelines of the G7 summit, when Prime Minister Modi had a conversation with U.S. President Donald
01:06Trump in the same stretch,
01:08he also met with the Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky.
01:11Thereafter, when India hosted the BRICS summit, Prime Minister Modi held a conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
01:18So certainly, and, you know, if you see the statement coming from Secretary of State Marco Rubio,
01:23he said that he acknowledged that this conflict is not going to end in the battlefield.
01:29Isn't it the same thing India has been saying for long?
01:31And India always maintained that, you know, there is no end to this conflict in a battlefield.
01:37Rather, you know, dialogue and diplomacy is the only way forward.
01:40And it is a thing which India would always appreciate that if the United States,
01:46whose administration at one point of time actually gave weapons to Ukraine,
01:51is now coming to terms and acknowledging the fact that, you know, dialogue and diplomacy is the only way forward.
01:56And I think Prime Minister Modi and President Donald Trump did talk about this issue.
02:01And recently, when Secretary Rubio and External Affairs Minister Dr. Jai Shankar held a conversation,
02:06they also did discuss about the regional and the global conflicts and how they can work together to end these
02:12conflicts.
02:12Okay, Pranay, just before I let you go, I asked the same question to Gaurav.
02:16To you, the biggest headline from this interview, you've seen it in whole.
02:19There are many headlines, you know.
02:21It is difficult to pick one headline because, you know,
02:23the plethora of subjects, the length and breadth of the relationship is so vast, so deep.
02:28And I think, you know, this is one of the most candid conversation in any interview.
02:33Secretary Rubio did talk about various aspects of India-US relation from H-1B visas to nuclear technology,
02:41to energy cooperation, to defense cooperation, to quad partnership.
02:46On multiple levels, you know, he had, you know, open conversation with India today.
02:51And I think you can easily call it the most comprehensive interview of U.S. representation in India.
02:57You're right.
02:58You know, on the issue of H-1B visas, that's one point that I'm looking forward to hearing from Secretary
03:02Rubio and Ambassador Gaurav for.
03:04Thanks very much, Pranay, for joining us with those details.
03:07We've given you a sense of, really, the issues that these two leaders have spoken of,
03:14the issues that they've touched upon.
03:16And remember that at 8 p.m. tonight is when you can catch that full, detailed interview.
03:22This is Team Trump in India for the first time.
03:26U.S. Ambassador to India, Sergio Gaurav, U.S. Secretary of State, Marco Rubio,
03:29together joining us here on India Today, that full 30-minute exclusive at 8 p.m. tonight.
03:35We'll see you next time.
