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‘Stay Tuned’: Jaishankar On Quad Summit Status, Says It Was ‘Never Cancelled’
‘Stay Tuned’: Jaishankar On Quad Summit Status, Says It Was ‘Never Cancelled’
In his first remarks on the Quad Summit following the India-US trade deal developments, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Saturday clarified that the Quad summit was “never cancelled," pushing back against speculation about the grouping’s trajectory.
While speaking at the Munich Security Conference 2026, where he participated in a roundtable discussion titled ‘Delhi Decides: Mapping India’s Policy Calculus’ hosted by Ananta Aspen, Jaishankar addressed questions regarding the Quad saying that the summit was never cancelled, however it was never specifically scheduled.
“The Quad summit was never cancelled. It was never specifically scheduled. Yes, it did not take place — but I won’t over read ‘Quad’ not happening at a summit level," he said.
Jaishankar further emphasised continued engagement within the group and highlighted that his first meeting with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio took place in the Quad Foreign Ministers’ Meeting (FMM) format.
“We had two Quad FMMs. Other mechanisms are going on," he said, underlining that cooperation among the four countries remains active through multiple channels.
Downplaying concerns over the absence of a leaders’ summit, the Union Minister signaled continuity rather than disruption in Quad engagements.
The Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, comprising India, the United States, Japan and Australia, has been central to Indo-Pacific cooperation on maritime security, supply chains, critical technologies and regional stability.
Jaishankar’s remarks are significant as they mark his first public statement on the QUAD following recent trade deal announcement.
Earlier this month, US President Donald Trump announced that the United States and India have reached a trade deal to lower reciprocal tariffs. He said that following a phone call with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the US would reduce tariffs on Indian goods from 25 per cent to 18 per cent with immediate effect. In return, Trump claimed India would cut its tariffs and non-tariff barriers on US products to “zero."
As part of the understanding, India has signalled plans to increase its purchases of US products in areas such as energy, aircraft parts, machinery and technology, with an overall trade engagement target of around $500 billion over the next few years. Both sides also agreed to work on reducing trade barriers and improving cooperation on areas like digital trade and supply chains.
Later, the White House replaced its original fact sheet on the interim trade framework with a revised version. A reference to “certain pulses" being included in tariff reductions has been removed, ensuring that India’s longstanding tariff protections for its farmers remain intact. Similarly, wording that said India had “committed to buy" $500 billion worth of US goods has been replaced with “intends to buy," making it clear that these purchases are not legally binding obligations but part of a broader intent outlined in the joint statement.
Further, agriculture has been removed from the list of sectors from which India would purchase US goods, limiting perceived exposure of the farm sector. The earlier line stating that India would remove its digital services tax has also been deleted. Instead, the updated version says India has “committed to negotiate a robust set of bilateral digital trade rules," shifting the focus from unilateral concessions to future negotiations.
Source: News18
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