The Framework was signed in New Delhi today by External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
The Framework aims to deepen India-U.S. cooperation across the critical minerals and rare earths supply chain, including mining, processing, recycling and related investments. It seeks to strengthen resilient and diversified supply chains, while promoting collaboration in financing and effective management of critical minerals and rare earths scrap, according to an official statement.
The signing of the Framework marks an important milestone in advancing the vision articulated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Donald J. Trump during the Prime Minister’s visit to Washington, D.C. in February 2025. The India – U.S. Joint Statement issued during the visit had underlined the strategic importance of critical minerals for emerging technologies and advanced manufacturing, and recognised secure and resilient supply chains for critical minerals as a shared strategic priority of both countries, it added.
The Framework builds on continuing India – U.S. cooperation aimed at strengthening supply chain security in critical sectors. On 20 February 2026, India became a signatory to the U.S. – led Pax Silica initiative. India also signed a Joint Statement on the “India-U.S. AI Opportunity Partnership” as a bilateral addendum to the Declaration.
Earlier, External Affairs Minister Dr. Jaishankar had also participated in the Foreign Ministers’ Meeting on critical minerals hosted by Secretary Rubio in Washington, D.C. on 4 February 2026. India and the United States are also partnering under the Forum on Resource Geostrategic Engagement (FORGE) initiative.
India’s critical mineral and rare earth imports rose 6.45 per cent from USD 490 million in FY2025 to USD 521 million in FY2026, according to Rubix Data Sciences.
While India–US cooperation on critical minerals is strategically important, the import structure continues to be dominated by China and a dispersed set of alternative suppliers. The success of the pact will, therefore, depend less on immediate trade shifts and more on building long-term refining, processing, and manufacturing capabilities across trusted supply chains, it said.
