Marco Rubio Says 'We Have To Have A Relationship With' Pakistan Despite Differences, Cites Nuclear Weapons

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said Washington must maintain relations with Pakistan despite disagreements, citing the country’s nuclear weapons and strategic location, while reiterating that the United States opposes terrorism and those who sponsor it. Rubio said diplomatic engagement with Islamabad could also help discourage actions that concern India.

In an interview with Network18 on Tuesday, Rubio said managing US foreign policy required Washington to engage with countries with which it had differences, including Pakistan.

Rubio Cites Pakistan’s Nuclear Capabilities, Strategic Location

“In my new role, I am no longer the senator. As the Secretary of State, I have to manage the foreign policy of the United States and that does require us to have relationships with countries, including those that we may have some disagreements with,” Rubio said in the interview.

“In the case of Pakistan, it’s a country that we have to have a relationship with. It’s a country that possesses nuclear weapons. It’s a country that, from a geographical standpoint, we need to be able to interact with,” he added.

Rubio compared Washington’s approach to India’s diplomatic engagement with countries with which it has differences, referring to New Delhi’s relationship with Iran.

His remarks came in response to a question on whether US policy towards Pakistan had changed. As a US senator in 2025, Rubio had said he would introduce a bill to cut US security assistance to Pakistan if it sponsored terrorism against India.

Reiterating Washington’s stated position, Rubio said the US opposed terrorism and countries that supported it.

“We are against terrorism anywhere in the world. We’re against anybody who sponsors terrorism,” he said.

Rubio Says Engagement Could Address India’s Concerns

Rubio argued that maintaining diplomatic channels with Pakistan could give Washington an opportunity to address concerns raised by India.

“So, these are difficult things to balance, but they have to be as part of our foreign policy, and I think, in a way, could be a positive thing because if we have a relationship and we can speak to them, it could perhaps help us, perhaps put us in a position to help discourage the kinds of things that India is worried about,” he said.

The remarks underscore Washington’s attempt to balance its relationship with India with the need to maintain diplomatic engagement with Pakistan, even amid concerns over terrorism.

Rubio did not indicate that the US had softened its stated opposition to state-sponsored terrorism. Instead, he presented engagement with Islamabad as a foreign policy necessity, given Pakistan’s nuclear capabilities and geographical importance, and as a potential channel to discourage actions that concern New Delhi.