The agreement was announced by External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar following bilateral discussions with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and the Quad Foreign Ministers’ meeting, where the issue of critical mineral security emerged as a key area of discussion.
“We are today signing a bilateral India-US framework on securing supplies of mining and processing of critical minerals and rare earths,” Jaishankar said during the joint statement.
He stated that critical minerals had become an increasingly important area of cooperation not only through bilateral engagements but also through the Quad and broader partnerships among like-minded nations. According to Jaishankar, the framework aims to deepen collaboration across the entire supply chain, including mining, processing, recycling and investments related to critical minerals and rare earth elements.
The minister said the agreement would strengthen resilient and diversified supply chains while enabling both countries to collaborate on financing and effective management of critical minerals and rare earth resources. He added that the framework reflected the expanding strategic partnership between India and the United States at a time when countries across the world were navigating multiple economic and geopolitical challenges.
Critical minerals and rare earth elements are essential components in sectors such as high-technology electronics, clean energy systems, electric vehicles and advanced defence technologies, making them central to future industrial and strategic competition.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio described the agreement as a tangible example of the growing strategic alliance between Washington and New Delhi. He said both nations shared a common interest in ensuring reliable and long-term access to critical minerals and secure supply chains capable of supporting innovation-driven economies.
Rubio recalled that the process leading to the agreement began during the Critical Minerals Forum hosted in Washington on February 4 and accelerated after India joined Paxilla later that month.
“The groundwork was laid for this on the 4th of February when you joined us at the Critical Minerals Forum that we hosted in Washington, DC. It gained momentum later that month when India signed on to Paxilla,” Rubio said.
He warned that innovation-based economies could not afford to leave foundational industrial materials vulnerable to single-source monopolies capable of using supply disruptions as leverage against sovereign national interests, both during conflicts and in normal geopolitical conditions.
Rubio added that the agreement represented not only an important policy framework but also a concrete demonstration of the strengthening strategic partnership between the United States and India.
The issue of critical minerals also figured prominently during the Quad discussions, with member nations agreeing to launch a new Quad Critical Minerals Framework aimed at strengthening mineral supply chains across the Indo-Pacific region. The initiative is expected to align economic policies and coordinate investments among Quad countries in order to reduce vulnerabilities linked to sectors dependent on critical minerals.
Announcing the initiative, Rubio said the Quad framework would guide member countries in leveraging economic policy tools and coordinating investments to strengthen critical mineral supply chains, including mining, processing and recycling operations.
Alongside the minerals framework, Quad nations also unveiled new measures focused on enhancing maritime security in the Indo-Pacific. These include the launch of the Indo-Pacific Maritime Surveillance Corporation Initiative and the expansion of an existing maritime tracking programme.
The agreements and initiatives announced on Tuesday underscore the growing urgency among major democracies to secure strategic resources, reduce dependence on concentrated supply networks and reinforce economic and security cooperation across the Indo-Pacific region.
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