New Delhi, Feb. 3 -- External affairs minister S Jaishankar on Monday began a visit to the US to attend a critical minerals ministerial meeting organised by Washington, with the trip being closely followed for signs of a breakthrough in reducing strains in bilateral relations over the tariff policies of the Trump administration. In addition to participating in the ministerial meeting on critical minerals convened by secretary of state Marco Rubio on February 4, Jaishankar will hold meetings with senior members of the US administration during the three-day trip, the external affairs ministry said. The ministerial meeting will focus on supply chain resilience, clean energy transitions and strategic cooperation in critical minerals, the ministry said. People familiar with the matter said that India is also expected to join Pax Silica, the flagship US initiative to build a secure global supply chain for semiconductors and AI technology. Representatives of the G7 member states, including the UK, Japan, Germany and Italy, and mineral-rich nations such as Congo, Guinea and Kenya will participate in the meeting to enhance multilateral cooperation and investments in alternative supply chains for rare earth minerals. This is the second meeting convened by the US on critical minerals this year, and a meeting of finance ministers of G7 member states and other partners convened in January by treasury secretary Scott Bessent reached an agreement on stepping up efforts to reduce dependency on China for rare earths. India was represented at this meeting by Union minister Ashwini Vaishnaw. The US state department has said that strengthening critical mineral supply chains with partners is "vital to America's economic and national security". Jaishankar's visit will be closely watched for signs of a thaw in India-US ties after months of strains that have not been witnessed in the past two decades, over the trade policies of the Trump administration. In addition to slapping 50% tariffs, including a 25% punitive levy over Russian energy purchases, on Indian goods, President Donald Trump has hit ties with his repeated claims of ending an India-Pakistan conflict last year and criticising the Indian side on a range of issues. Ahead of the visit, Jaishankar met US ambassador Sergio, a close aide of Trump, and had a phone conversation with Rubio. Both interactions focused on trade, security and critical minerals. Indian officials have said that the two sides have made "very significant" progress in negotiations for a bilateral trade agreement, and that New Delhi remains hopeful of a "positive outcome". India and the US held several rounds of discussions last year on the trade deal, but negotiations hit a roadblock after Trump slapped 50% tariffs on Indian goods and the US side pushed India to open its farm and dairy sectors, seen by New Delhi as "red lines" for all trade negotiations....