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The U.S. views the Quad (Quadrilateral Strategic Dialogue comprising India, the U.S., Japan, and Australia) arsenic a “very important platform,” according to S. Paul Kapur, the apical Trump medication diplomat for the South and Central Asian region.
“… The Quad is simply a precise important platform. It has done well,” Assistant Secretary Kapur told the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee connected South & Central Asia connected Wednesday (February 11, 2026), characterising India arsenic an “active” and “important” participant.
The U.S. and India were looking to grow defence exercises and interoperability pursuing the signing of their latest ten-year defence practice model (October 2025), according to Mr. Kapur.
“We besides person immoderate imaginable purchases of limb systems successful the pipeline that volition assistance India to support itself amended and guarantee its sovereignty. Also (this) volition make American jobs (and) beryllium bully for some sides,” helium said.
In summation to trade, the Trump medication was deploying targeted investment, diplomacy and defence practice to physique strategical capableness successful the region, arsenic per Mr. Kapur, who drew a causal nexus betwixt the caller completion of a U.S.-India commercialized deal and caller momentum successful the relationship.
“Following the commercialized model President Trump reached past week with Prime Minister Modi, we tin present absorption connected different shared priorities, lowering barriers to commercialized with 1 of the largest economies successful the world, and opening the mode to adjacent much fulsome cooperation,” helium told the fistful of lawmakers astatine the proceeding successful Washington D.C.
Despite the uncertainties astir trade, India and the U.S. were moving guardant connected “most axes” of the relationship, according to Mr. Kapur.
Opinion | India-U.S. commercialized woody is simply a stroke to India’s strategical autonomy
On energy, Mr. Kapur said that India had been reducing its purchases of Russian lipid and “diversifying away” from it. ”...Which is what we wanted them to do,” helium added.
“And they’ve (India) really been buying much U.S. energy. And that’s, I think, a promising possibility... to substitute immoderate U.S. vigor for the Russian energy...and buying from different places astir the satellite too, of course,” helium added.
Pakistan-U.S. moving connected captious mineral resources together: Kapur
The Trump medication authoritative characterised Pakistan arsenic “another important partner” successful the region.
“We are moving unneurotic with Pakistan to realise the imaginable of its critical-mineral resources,” helium said, adding that vigor and cultivation commercialized was expanding and counter-terrorism practice was ongoing.
On the February 12 elections successful Bangladesh, Mr. Kapur said it was a “great thing” and that the U.S. was “very optimistic” astir it, arsenic it was astir Nepal, which is expected to clasp wide elections successful aboriginal March.
He characterised the alteration successful Nepal and Bangladesh arsenic “youth movements overthrowing older governments and present creating the accidental for antiauthoritarian participation”.
“So with Nepal, we besides spot that we’ll person a unafraid and peaceful … electoral process, and we’re prepared to enactment with whoever wins,” helium said.
At 1 constituent successful the hearing, Mr. Kapur said that a ascendant and hostile powerfulness successful South Asia was not desirable for America.
“A hostile powerfulness dominating South Asia could exert coercive leverage implicit the satellite economy. The United States indispensable forestall this from happening and support the portion escaped and open,” helium said, adding that the U.S. needed to cooperate with partners. There were aggregate references to China during the astir one-hour-long hearing, which besides exposed the antithetic attitudes crossed Members of Congress towards the Trump administration’s handling of the India-U.S. relationship.
During the hearing, Representative Ami Bera, an Indian American Democrat from California, stated that helium had been successful India astatine the extremity of September 2025, conscionable aft Mr. Trump had imposed a 50% tariff and a $100,000 interest connected immoderate H-1B visas. He explained that from the position of the U.S. Congress, “nothing had changed” regarding a “three-decade strategy” that dates backmost to President Bill Clinton.
India strategical portion of puzzle successful stabilizing the Indo-Pacific: Ami Bera
“We spot India arsenic a strategical portion of the puzzle successful stabilising the Indo-Pacific. They (Indians) inactive spot that. We spot the economical relationship,” Mr. Bera said, adding that helium was “cautiously optimistic” astir the commercialized deal.
Mr. Kapur agreed that the strategy with respect to India had transcended Republican and Democrat administrations.
Mr. Bera asked Mr. Kapur to “push” India to usage its diplomatic lines of connection with Moscow to assistance the Trump medication successful bringing bid to Ukraine.
India did not person to “go acold afield to enactment our (U.S.) strategical interests”, according to Mr. Kapur.
“An independent, strong, prosperous India takes a large swath (swathe) of the Indo-Pacific distant from China and that is really a strategical triumph for us,” helium added. Mr. Kapur was responding to Keith Self, a Texas Republican, who had asked what India was doing to antagonistic China’s Belt and Road Initiative.
During the hearing, Mr. Kapur had said the U.S. extremity was not to support China retired of the portion but to forestall China oregon immoderate hegemon from taking implicit the portion oregon utilizing its coercive leverage implicit the region.
Ranking Member of the committee, Sydney Kamlager-Dove, a Democrat, asked Mr. Kapur if helium thought determination were immoderate preconditions that had to beryllium addressed earlier the U.S. agreed to enactment successful the Quad Leaders Summit. Mr. Kapur did not code this portion of her question.
Ms. Kamlager-Dove besides said she was acrophobic that the Quad was mentioned conscionable doubly successful the 2025 National Security Strategy of the Trump Administration. (It is, successful effect, mentioned lone erstwhile successful the Strategy, successful its afloat signifier and successful the abbreviated form).
India is expected to big the Quad Summit this year.
The Democrat described the 50% tariff connected India arsenic causing a “needless rupture” successful ties that delayed the Quad Summit and “sacrificed decades of painstaking trust-building” betwixt India and the U.S.
She said Mr. Trump insisting helium was liable for a ceasefire successful the four-day warfare betwixt India and Pakistan successful May 2025 and offering to mediate connected Kashmir, overshadowed the relation of U.S. diplomacy.
Ms. Dove pushed Mr. Kapur connected protections for Afghans resettled successful the United States and criticised the Trump administration’s policies connected Afghanistan and Afghans, focusing connected the presumption of women and girls. Chair of the Committee Bill Huizenga (Republican) criticised the Biden administration’s chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan successful 2021, calling that a “true betrayal” of America’s Afghan allies.
