Last Updated:September 11, 2025, 23:07 IST

Sergio Gor, who has been announced as the next US ambassador to India, said he would not commit to the exact dates for the trip

In an indication that US President Donald Trump may travel to India for the QUAD Leaders Summit later this year, his close aide Sergio Gor has said that “the President is fully committed to meeting leaders of QUAD…there has already been talks on a trip for the next QUAD meeting”.

Gor, who has been announced as the next US ambassador to India, said he would not commit to the exact dates for the trip. “The QUAD is vitally important,” Gor said at his confirmation hearing in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Thursday. Earlier, a report in the New York Times said Trump had dropped plans to come to India for the QUAD Leaders Summit this November.

In their last phone conversation on June 17, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had extended an invitation to Trump to come to India this year for the QUAD Summit. As per the Indian readout after the call, Trump had accepted PM Modi’s invite. Now Gor’s comments indicate that Trump’s travel to India remains on track.

It is expected that both leaders will soon have a phone conversation about the scheduling of the QUAD Summit. Last month, President Donald Trump promoted Gor, director of presidential personnel, as the next US ambassador to India and special envoy for South and Central Asian affairs.

Gor on Thursday also said, “Our president (Trump) has a deep friendship with Modi. That is something that is unique. President has been critical of India, but he has gone out of his way to compliment Modi. They have an incredible relationship…I have been with them in the same room. We’re not that far apart on a deal already on these tariffs”.

Talks have entered the “nitty-gritty” stage, he said. Gor emphasised that India remains a “strategic partner” for the United States and pledged to deepen cooperation across security, trade, and shared values if confirmed.

“India is not simply a regional ally but a strategic partner,” he said, outlining his priorities as rebuilding trust, resolving trade frictions, and expanding collaboration in climate, defence, and technology.

Sergio Gor also faced questions over Donald Trump’s tariff policy. When asked why India had been subjected to some of the steepest duties while China had not, he responded, “Look, we hold our friends to different standards. We expect more from India than we do from other nations.”

The Donald Trump administration has imposed a 25 per cent reciprocal duty on Indian goods, along with an additional 25 per cent levy tied to India’s purchase of Russian oil, bringing the total tariff burden to 50 per cent, among the highest globally. Trump has accused New Delhi of “fueling Russia’s deadly attacks on Ukraine” by buying discounted crude, even as he has stopped short of imposing harsher sanctions on Moscow.

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