External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar announced on Tuesday the signing of a landmark bilateral framework between India and the United States to secure supplies of critical minerals and rare earths.
He called the agreement both timely and essential at a moment of growing global competition over these strategic resources.
#WATCH | Delhi | External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio sign India-US bilateral framework on securing supply of mining and processing of critical minerals and rare earths
(video source: DD) pic.twitter.com/w71vP4NPTS
— ANI (@ANI) May 26, 2026
Addressing reporters, Jaishankar stated, “We are today signing a bilateral India-US framework on securing supplies of mining and processing of critical minerals and rare earths. This is something we have also discussed today at the Quad meeting and whether we are doing it bilaterally, or in the Quad format or as a larger gathering of like-minded nations, it is something very timely and critical.”
Jaishankar also elaborated on the scope of the agreement, saying, “This framework aims to deepen our cooperation across the entire critical minerals and rare earth supply chain, including mining, processing, recycling and related investment. It will strengthen resilient and diversified supply chains, help us to collaborate and financing and with the effective management of critical minerals and rare earths.”
He added the pact was “one more sign of how close our cooperation is in a world where there are so many challenges but also so many opportunities.”
#WATCH | Delhi | EAM Jaishankar says, “We are today signing a bilateral India-US framework on securing supplies of mining and processing of critical minerals and rare earths. This is something we have also discussed today at the Quad meeting and whether we are doing it… pic.twitter.com/vKqAl0Tll1
— ANI (@ANI) May 26, 2026
The agreement formalises months of groundwork. At the Critical Minerals Ministerial earlier this year, the United States signed new bilateral critical minerals frameworks and memorandums of understanding, announced financing opportunities to support strategic minerals projects, and celebrated the launch of the Forum on Resource Geostrategic Engagement, known as FORGE.
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The backdrop to Tuesday’s signing is an increasingly urgent global scramble to reduce dependence on China.
Critical minerals and rare earths underpin the most advanced technologies, from AI and robotics to batteries and autonomous systems, and the market’s current high concentration has left it vulnerable to political coercion and supply chain disruption.
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The bilateral framework sits within the broader Quad architecture, bringing together India, the United States, Australia, and Japan — where critical minerals, technology supply chains, and maritime security commitments are reinforced and institutionalised at a multilateral level.
For New Delhi, the pact marks a decisive step from strategic intent to industrial execution.
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