US President Donald Trump has cancelled his planned visit to India for the Quad Summit in November 2025, the New York Times reported on Saturday, underscoring deepening strains in relations between Washington and New Delhi over trade and foreign policy.
The decision comes weeks after the US administration imposed an additional 25 per cent tariff on Indian goods, raising the cumulative extra duty on imports from India to 50pc since the beginning of Mr Trump’s presidency.
The move was linked to India’s increased reliance on Russian crude, which now makes up 42pc of its oil imports, compared to less than 1pc before the Ukraine war. By contrast, China’s Russian oil imports have risen from 13pc to 16pc.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent accused New Delhi of exploiting the war to resell Russian oil at a profit. “What I would call Indian arbitrage – buying cheap Russian oil, reselling it as product – has just sprung up during the war, which is unacceptable,” he said.
Modi in China, Japan
Meanwhile, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is on a rare visit to China, attending the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Tianjin — his first trip to the country since 2018.
Prior to arriving in China, Mr Modi held talks in Tokyo with his Japanese counterpart Shigeru Ishiba, where the two leaders pledged closer economic and security cooperation as both countries grapple with Washington’s tariff measures and Beijing’s growing regional influence.
“Japan and India should draw on each other’s strengths, help solve each other’s challenges, and even tackle together the issues that future generations will face,” Mr Ishiba said at a joint press appearance.
Quad in question
The cancellation of Mr Trump’s New Delhi visit has cast uncertainty over the upcoming Quad Summit, originally expected to bring together leaders from the US, Australia, Japan and India to reaffirm Indo-Pacific cooperation.
“This summit is an important platform for working on and promoting peace, stability, prosperity and development in the Indo-Pacific. … I am sure that when two Prime Ministers (India and Japan) meet, Quad will be discussed,” said Vikram Misr, a senior Indian government official.
