Sources familiar with the discussions said that the next Quad Leaders’ Summit is going to be planned for September 2025 and would be hosted by India. This summit would mark a significant shift from the gathering held in September 2024, hosted by US President Joe Biden, and would come at a particularly interesting time considering the new leadership in the US, Japan, and Australia.
The summit is timed based on elections and political transitions in the Quad member countries. In Australia, general elections are likely to be held between April and May 2025. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s approval ratings have been falling, and thus, it is unlikely that a summit would take priority ahead of the polls. Another reason is that the newly sworn-in US administration, which will first look inward, takes time to settle before taking up issues on foreign policy, among which is the summit. The second quarter of 2025, when India’s summer season peaks, is also deemed not to be a good time for the event.
Japan’s political calendar also plays a role, with the Parliament’s session running from January to June and upper-chamber elections scheduled for July. The Japanese prime minister typically does not travel abroad during this period, further pushing the timing of the summit toward September.
India was initially scheduled to host the Quad Summit 2024, but due to conflicts over scheduling with his re-election campaign, this has shifted to the United States. However, work for Quad working groups continue ahead in preparation, building upon subjects such as health, food security, clean energy, and infrastructure among others. This year saw several big initiatives, starting from the cancer moonshot of beating cervical cancer within the Indo-Pacific.
As the summit approaches, experts note that while the US remains committed to the Quad, questions remain about its future under a potential second Trump administration.
