He said a small number of items remain to be wrapped up and that he expects the deal to happen shortly.
Close but not done
Rubio said the State Department does not itself negotiate trade agreements, noting that trade falls outside his portfolio, but that he remains closely involved in the discussions with India. He pointed to the pace of diplomatic contact between the two countries as evidence of momentum, saying India’s foreign minister has visited the United States four times this year.
He did not give a date for when a final agreement might be signed, saying only that the remaining issues should be resolved soon.
Call with Zelenskyy
He said support through the Department of War, including PURL transfers and intelligence sharing, had not changed, adding that the president had ordered no such changes.
Rubio said interceptors are costly and time-consuming to produce, noting they are considered among the best available but take time to manufacture. He said global demand for interceptors is high and that US production is increasing rapidly, while also noting that the United States maintains minimum defense standards for its own bases that factor into how interceptors are allocated.
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