Trump not to attend QUAD summit in India

U.S. President Donald Trump has decided not to travel to India for the upcoming QUAD summit this fall, sources familiar with the president’s schedule revealed.

Trump initially informed Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi of his intention to attend the summit but later “reconsidered his plans,” Caliber.Az reports, citing The New York Times. 

The newspaper noted that, at present, Modi is considered among the “outsiders” in Trump’s view.

A key point of contention is Trump’s repeated claim that he resolved a four-day India-Pakistan military conflict in May 2025, which India denies. During a June 17, 2025, phone call, Modi firmly rejected Trump’s claims of U.S. mediation and Pakistan’s alleged nomination of Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize, a point of personal significance for Trump. This exchange reportedly strained their rapport, with Modi’s refusal to endorse Trump’s narrative seen as a diplomatic slight.

On February 13, 2025, during a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Washington, D.C., President Donald Trump accepted an invitation to attend the QUAD Summit in India, signaling a commitment to deepen U.S.-India strategic ties. This was reinforced by the launch of the Indian Ocean Strategic Venture, a bilateral forum to advance economic and defense cooperation.

The Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (QUAD) is a strategic partnership between the United States, India, Japan, and Australia, formed to promote a free, open, and inclusive Indo-Pacific region. Initially proposed in 2004 by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe following the Indian Ocean tsunami, the QUAD was formalized in 2007 but remained dormant until its revival in 2017 during U.S. President Donald Trump’s first term. Elevated to a leaders’ summit level in 2021 under President Joe Biden, the QUAD focuses on countering China’s growing influence in the Indo-Pacific through cooperation in maritime security, economic development, climate change, technology, and public health. Key initiatives include the Indo-Pacific Partnership for Maritime Domain Awareness (IPMDA) and vaccine distribution programs.

By Khagan Isayev