Quad foreign chiefs to discuss energy security, push for leaders’ summit

NEW DELHI – Foreign ministers from Japan, Australia, India and the US will discuss energy security and seek to pave the way for a leaders’ summit when they meet on May 26 in New Delhi under the Quad framework.

The last Quad summit was held in September 2024, and no leaders’ meeting has taken place since the launch of the second administration of US President Donald Trump, who has placed less emphasis on multilateral diplomacy.

Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong and Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar are expected to discuss closer cooperation on energy security as tensions in the Middle East continue to raise concerns over fuel supplies and prices.

The Quad grouping has been regarded as part of Washington’s strategy to counter China’s growing influence in the Indo-Pacific region.

A summit planned in India in 2025 was shelved amid strains in US-India relations over New Delhi’s purchases of Russian oil following Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, as well as disagreements surrounding mediation efforts after armed clashes between India and Pakistan.

Since the launch of US-Israeli strikes on Iran on Feb 28, fuel price surges have underscored vulnerabilities in energy security.

According to diplomatic sources, the ministers are expected to seek concrete steps to diversify supply chains for critical minerals, including rare earths, amid concerns over Chinese export restrictions.

The issue was included in a joint statement released after the previous Quad foreign ministers’ meeting in Washington in July 2025.

The foreign ministers are also expected to reaffirm cooperation towards realising a “free and open Indo-Pacific”. Artificial intelligence could also be discussed, the sources said. KYODO NEWS