US and India Reset Ties and Launch Quad Initiatives

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio conducted a four-day diplomatic tour of India from May 23 to 26, 2026, to stabilize bilateral relations that had reached a two-decade low. Ties were strained by President Donald Trump's punitive tariffs, immigration crackdowns, and controversial claims regarding India-Pakistan military clashes. Rubio visited Kolkata, Agra, and Jaipur before concluding his trip in New Delhi, where he met with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar.

Bilateral discussions focused on energy security, as the US offered to increase exports to help India diversify away from the volatile Strait of Hormuz, which was effectively closed following the US-Israeli war on Iran. Rubio extended a White House invitation to Modi and announced an "America First" visa scheduling tool to prioritize business professionals. The two nations also progressed toward a broader trade deal, with India committing to purchase $500 billion in American goods over five years.

The visit culminated in the 11th Quad Foreign Ministers' Meeting in New Delhi. The member nations—the US, India, Japan, and Australia—announced several "action-oriented" deliverables to counter China's regional influence. These included the Indo-Pacific Maritime Surveillance Collaboration, a $20 billion Critical Minerals Framework to secure high-tech supply chains, and the Quad's first joint infrastructure project: a port in Fiji. The group also issued a joint statement condemning terrorism and opposing maritime coercion in the South and East China Seas, prompting the Government of China to criticize the alliance as a "Cold War-style construct."