India-hosted Quad Leaders’ Summit Overdue as No Invitations Sent Yet Amid US Signals of Low Interest

New Delhi, April 21, 2026: The much-anticipated Quad leaders’ summit, expected to be hosted by India this year, appears increasingly uncertain with no formal invitations issued to US President Donald Trump, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, or Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi. India has held the rotating chair of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad) since 2025, yet no leaders’ level meeting took place last year, and none is firmly scheduled for 2026 so far.
A source familiar with the matter confirmed to The Print that New Delhi has not yet sent out invites, raising questions about the grouping’s momentum. Foreign ministerial meetings, however, continue to keep the Quad operational. Two such meetings were hosted by the US in 2025, and the next is likely to occur in India around May 26, with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio expected to visit.
The Quad, revived by Trump during his first term in 2017, gained significant traction under President Joe Biden, who elevated it to the level of leaders in 2021. Six summits-four in-person and two virtual – were he during Biden’s tenure, with the last one in Wilmington, Delaware, in September 2024. India had agreed to let the US host that meeting in exchange for New Delhi chairing the 2025 summit, but that commitment went unfulfilled.
While New Delhi, Tokyo, and Canberra remain keen to sustain the platform, concerns linger over Washington’s commitment under Trump’s second term. The grouping’s original focus on freedom of navigation in the Indo-Pacific and serving as a counterweight to China’s growing influence has faced headwinds. Trump has pursued a more transactional approach towards Beijing, including a high-stakes visit to China planned for mid-May 2026, the first by a US president in eight years
October 2025 meeting with President Xi Jinping in Busan. Following his Bilateral frictions have also complicated matters. Trump imposed steep tariffs (up to 50%) on India in 20 to pressure New Delhi over Russian oil imports. In July 2025, Quad foreign ministers in Washington rese the agenda around four pillars: maritime and transnational security, economic prosperity, critical and emerging technologies, and humanitarian assistance.
Diplomats in New Delhi sense that the Trump administration no longer views the Quad with the same strategic urgency as nearly a decade ago. The outcome of the upcoming foreign ministers’ meeting in In could determine whether a leaders’ summit materialises later in 2026 or if the grouping shifts to a lower profile rhythm.