Washington is keen to cooperate with India through the Quad Grouping and strengthen defense ties with New Delhi, the Trump administration’s top diplomat for South Asia indicated in a briefing before a subcommittee of the US House of Representatives.
Paul Kapoor serves as Assistant Secretary of State managing US relations with South and Central Asia. (Wikimedia Commons/ US Department of State)Paul Kapoor, who serves as assistant secretary of state for US relations with South and Central Asia, added that the US is planning to sell new weapons to India. Kapoor pointed to the resilience of US-India relations despite recent tensions over trade and welcomed the recent framework agreement for a bilateral trade deal announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump earlier this month.
“India, with its size, location and commitment to a free and open region, anchors South Asia and, more broadly, the western half of the Indo-Pacific, the US and India maintain high-level diplomatic touchpoints such as the 2+2 ministerial level and close cooperation in the defense, technology and energy sectors, and our longstanding trade cooperation through the Quadrilateral continues. From the 10-year US-India Defense Framework Agreement, trust initiative and drones Indian purchases of US products ranging from liquefied natural gas,” Kapoor said in his opening statement to the US House of Representatives’ Subcommittee on South and Central Asia. He added that the conclusion of a framework trade agreement between India and the US has opened up more opportunities for relations.
Notably, Kapoor hinted at possible new sales of weapons systems to India.
“We have some potential purchases of weapons systems in the pipeline that will help India better defend itself, assert its sovereignty, create American jobs, be good for both sides,” he told committee representatives.
An expert on South Asian security and defense issues, Kapoor was unable to elaborate on how Washington proposed New Delhi’s monitoring of Russian energy purchases when questioned by representative Keith Self.
“I think the Quad is a very important platform. It has worked well. It was defunct in 2017 when it was first revived during the Trump administration, and since then it has grown in importance and is a platform that enables us to connect and collaborate with our like-minded partners in a unique way. We were talking about India before the Quad and we can actively promote India, but we can be active as our technology partner. Defense and eco-related and trade-related. interests,” Kapoor said while questioning Congresswoman Sydney Kamalager-Dove about the possibility of a four-nation partnership.
India, the US, Australia and Japan form the Quad Grouping which is seen as a counterweight to China.
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However, key lawmakers have expressed their displeasure with Trump’s handling of relations with India.
“Tariffs of 50% on India, one of the highest rates in the world, have caused an unnecessary rupture in bilateral relations that have sacrificed decades of hard-earned trust-building between our two countries. Dragging out negotiations for more than a year costs us time to convene the annual Quad Leaders Summit and weakens our posture,” the congressman told Democratic members of the South and Central Asia Subcommittee at the Camgre-du-Congress. led
Kapoor also addressed US priorities with Pakistan, particularly in light of the close ties between the Trump administration and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s government. Referring to Pakistan as an “important partner”, he outlined key minerals, trade and counter-terrorism cooperation as areas of focus for the US in relations with Islamabad.
“Pakistan is another important partner in the region. We are working together with Pakistan to realize the potential of its important mineral resources, combining U.S. government seed funding with the private sector for the benefit of both our countries. Our trade in energy and agriculture is also expanding, and our ongoing counter-terrorism cooperation helps Pakistan address threats to our internal security or undermine our partnership.” Dr. Kapoor.
