US Envoy Sergio Gor Says Trump Invited to India, Backs Deeper AI and Pax Silica Ties

US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor on Friday underlined the importance that US President Donald Trump attaches to India, saying Prime Minister Narendra Modi has invited him to visit the country, even though there was no formal announcement yet on the visit.

Addressing a joint press conference with US Under Secretary of State for Economic Affairs Jacob Helberg and US President's Science and Technology Advisor Michael Kratsios, Gor said the President greatly enjoyed his earlier trip to India and recalled that when Trump nominated him as ambassador, he spoke about India's unmatched vibrancy, colour, history and culture, expressing confidence that the President would return at some point.

Gor also said the United States is keen to pursue initiatives where both countries can work closely together, with Pax Silica and artificial intelligence leading that effort, adding that Washington wants to collaborate with Indian companies on its AI technology and capabilities and that the offer is being made specifically to India and not to all countries.

"We're looking for initiatives where the United States and India can work together. And Pax Silica leads at that, AI leads at that. We're coming here with a message to India that our stacks, our abilities, our AI technology is something that we want to work with Indian companies with. We're not offering that to everyone around the world. It's something that we bring specially here to this place," said Gor.

How does India joining Pax Silica strengthen the partnership between the two nations?

Welcoming India's participation in Pax Silica, he said the presence of leading companies at the event reflected the strength of the partnership and that both sides looked forward to taking it to the next level.

"We're thrilled that India joined Pax Silica... If you saw the companies that are represented here today, this is an incredible partnership for both of our nations, and we look forward to taking it to the next level," he said.

India on Friday signed and joined the Pax Silica Declaration on the sidelines of the Global AI Impact Summit being held in the national capital, in the presence of Gor, Helberg and Union Minister for Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw.

On how responsibilities would be shared under Pax Silica and whether it could provide an alternative front for securing critical minerals, Helberg said the initiative is not limited to government-to-government cooperation but also enables private sector partnerships.

"So in terms of shared responsibility, one of the things that makes PAX SILICA effective is that it's not just a G2G platform, it's also a platform that allows businesses to actually forge partnerships, private sector to private sector. Part of the spirit of the Trump administration is we believe in industry and we believe in markets," said Helberg.

How will Pax Silica and private sector partnerships help secure supply chains?

"And so we're not trying to replicate private industry in-house, we want to help facilitate private sector partnerships that actually allow us to secure our supply chains through things like off-take agreements and the rest,” he said.

“The other point is instead of making... instead of using taxpayer dollars to make investments, we're looking at incentives. And so the Trump administration through deregulation, through energy abundance has put in place powerful incentives that allow the private sector to lead," he added.

Helberg further said countries that build on the American AI stack would benefit from an open, independently controlled and secure system, adding that this is why the United States is keen to share its AI capabilities with nations that prioritise AI sovereignty.

"I would say it's actually the opposite. I believe any country in the world that builds on top of the American AI stack will have the most open, independently controlled, secure stack that the world has to offer. And that's why we're so eager to share it with so many countries that are prioritising AI sovereignty," he said.

Highlighting the importance of the strategic alliance Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, Gor said the first meeting held by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio after taking charge was with the QUAD, sending a strong message to the world, and added that discussions remain actively underway.

How does QUAD engagement reinforce the India-US strategic partnership under Pax Silica?

"The QUAD is very important. The first meeting that Secretary Rubio had was with the QUAD. And that sends a message to the world. He didn't meet with anyone else. It was the QUAD. So that's something we're fully engaged on. We're actively in talks. I don't have exact dates, but Secretary Rubio will be travelling to India very soon, in a matter of months. And so that'll be part of the QUAD, along with many other initiatives," Sergio Gor told reporters.

He further said that the progress achieved through such partnerships is the result of efforts by large numbers of people across governments and that the friendship between the two nations ultimately helps deliver outcomes.

"Great question. Look, and the achievements, I appreciate your kind words, but it takes a lot of people. It's hundreds and thousands of people from across the government. It's the friendship and the relationship between our two nations that ultimately gets these things across the finish line," said Gor.

Responding to a query on whether India's import of about 2 per cent oil from Venezuela would now be routed through the United States and whether the dynamics of direct imports had changed, Gor said discussions were still underway and details had not yet been made public, adding that the US Department of Energy is in talks with India's Ministry of Energy and expressing hope that there would be clarity soon.

Earlier on February 14, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said that the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue Leaders' Summit was "not cancelled" because it had never been formally scheduled, cautioning against overinterpreting the absence of a leaders' meeting last year and stressing that the grouping’s various working groups and institutional mechanisms continue to function.

"The fact that the QUAD did not take place at the summit level itself, I wouldn't overread it. So do stay tuned," Jaishankar said.

He underscored that beyond high-level political meetings, the Quad's mechanisms remain active. "The other parts of the Quad-the various mechanisms -all of those are going on," he said, while noting that India is supposed to host the next QUAD Leaders' Summit.

(With inputs from ANI)