In what will be External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar’s first visit to the US this year, he will travel to Washington DC for the inaugural Critical Minerals Ministerial meeting on February 4, sources said. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio is hosting the inaugural Critical Minerals Ministerial to strengthen global supply chain cooperation. The meeting focuses on securing resilient supply chains for critical minerals essential to national security and energy transition. While the ministerial meeting will be the ostensible reason, it will also be an opportunity for the two ministers to repair strained ties. This follows a conversation between Jaishankar and Rubio on January 13, when they had discussed a possible meeting in February.