Overview

• Senior officials held a virtual 2+2 intersessional dialogue on August 25–26, co-chaired by Bethany P. Morrison and Jedidiah P. Royal with India’s Nagaraj Naidu Kakanur and Vishwesh Negi.
• They discussed trade and investment, energy security with an emphasis on civil-nuclear cooperation, critical minerals exploration, and joint counternarcotics and counterterrorism efforts.
• Both sides said they look forward to signing a new ten-year Framework for the U.S.-India Major Defense Partnership and to advancing defense-industrial, science and technology, and operational coordination.
• Participants agreed to build on work under the U.S.-India COMPACT and reaffirmed commitments to a free, open, and prosperous Indo-Pacific through the Quad.
• The meeting was described as productive by both governments, and news reports noted it was the first official-level dialogue since the U.S. announced tariffs on Indian goods on August 6.