New Delhi: Blowing up India on Thursday Media reports After National Security Adviser Ajit Doval visited Washington last September, claiming India-US relations had improved and telling American officials that New Delhi would not be bullied, the External Affairs Ministry (EAM) said no such visit had taken place.
Bloomberg reported that Doval met with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington during a visit in early September (AFP/Representative photo)”Regarding the Bloomberg report, I would like to say that there is absolutely no basis for that report. There was no such meeting or no such visit,” External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said at a weekly media briefing when asked about the report.
Bloomberg reported that Doval met with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington during a visit in early September and said the two countries should put the strain on their relationship behind them and return to talks on a trade deal. Reports claim that Doval told Rubio that India will not be bullied by US President Donald Trump and his top aides and that New Delhi is willing to wait out Trump’s tenure.
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Indo-US relations deteriorated sharply last August after Trump hiked tariffs on Indian exports by 50% and accused India of financing Russia’s war in Ukraine through oil purchases. He also criticized India’s economic policies and customs system.
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Earlier this week, Modi and Trump announced that US tariffs on Indian goods would be reduced to 18% as part of a trade deal. The development comes nearly a year after the two sides began negotiating a bilateral trade deal. Officials from both sides are currently finalizing the outline of the trade agreement.
