At Critical Minerals Meet In US, EAM Jaishankar Flags Supply Chain Risks, Conveys India's Support To FORGE

 

 

New Delhi : Union External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, who is on a three-day visit to the United States, on Wednesday underlined the risks of "over-dependence" on a few countries for critical minerals and called for stronger international cooperation to build resilient and reliable supply chains.

Addressing the inaugural Critical Minerals Ministerial in Washington DC, attended by delegations from more than 50 countries, Jaishankar said excessive concentration in critical mineral supply chains posed serious challenges for global economic security. He specifically mentioned that there is a need to "de-risk" these supply chains through structured international collaboration.

 

Highlighting India's approach, Jaishankar pointed to initiatives including the National Critical Minerals Mission, Rare Earth Corridors, and the need for responsible commerce. He also conveyed India's support for the US-backed FORGE initiative on critical minerals to diversify sourcing and processing.

"Spoke at the Critical Minerals Ministerial in Washington DC today (Wednesday). Underlined challenges of excessive concentration and the importance of de-risking supply chains through structured international cooperation. Highlighted India's efforts towards greater resilience through initiatives including National Critical Minerals Mission, Rare Earth Corridors and responsible commerce. Conveyed India’s support to the FORGE initiative on critical minerals," Jaishankar said in a post on X.

 

During a conversation with ANI, Jaishankar said, "It was a very good discussion. Critical minerals are a very important subject. The US has been partnering up for some years. Today, they launched a new initiative called FORGE, which we have supported. It's a kind of successor to the Mineral Security Partnership. Overall, to me, it was a good meeting, very productive, very outcome-oriented, and very businesslike, and that was the core reason I came."

Jaishankar's remarks come at a time when India's participation in the US-led critical minerals dialogue is moving from strategic intent to on-ground execution. The announcement of dedicated rare earth corridors in the Union Budget 2026 is being seen as a crucial step, reflecting India's aim to not just secure raw materials but also build domestic capacity in processing, separation, magnet manufacturing and downstream industries.

 

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio also stressed the link between critical minerals and economic security, calling on allies to work together to avoid past mistakes. Speaking at the ministerial, Rubio said that as countries chased "new and glamorous" technologies, mining and processing were neglected, leading to dangerous supply chain dependencies.

Taking to social media on Thursday, Rubio said, "At the Critical Minerals Ministerial, we joined efforts with global partners to build more secure and resilient critical mineral supply chains."

"Under President Trump's strong leadership, the U.S. is uniting likeminded governments to build stable and strong critical minerals supply chains to power our industries," he added.