Months before US President Donald Trump announced a trade agreement with India, National Security Adviser Ajit Doval privately told US Secretary of State Marco Rubio that New Delhi wanted to move past the bitterness that had crept into bilateral ties and return to the negotiating table.
During a visit to Washington, Doval also made it clear that India would not be pressured by Trump or his senior aides, officials in New Delhi familiar with the exchange told Bloomberg. The message, they said, was firm but forward-looking: India wanted engagement, not confrontation.
A Quiet Meeting, A Clear Message
According to Bloomberg, Doval told Rubio that New Delhi was prepared to wait out Trump’s term if needed but wanted the US administration to ease its public criticism to help stabilise relations. The meeting is said to have taken place in early September, shortly after Prime Minister Narendra Modi held talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
The outreach underscored India’s desire to reset the tone of the relationship even as differences lingered, particularly on trade and energy ties. At the time, there was no public indication that a breakthrough was imminent.
Trump’s Announcement And What India Confirmed
On Monday, Trump declared that India and the United States had reached a trade agreement. Writing on Truth Social, he said American tariffs would be lowered and claimed that India would halt purchases of Russian oil. He also asserted that New Delhi had agreed to buy more energy from the US and potentially Venezuela, and to cut both tariff and non-tariff barriers on American goods to zero.
Modi welcomed the announcement, thanking Trump for lowering duties on Made in India products. However, his public response stopped short of confirming several of the US president’s claims. While India has acknowledged the tariff reduction element of the agreement, it has not explicitly endorsed assertions on Russian oil purchases or zero tariffs on US goods.
In a post on X, Modi framed the development as a broader strategic moment rather than a narrow trade pact. “When two large economies and the world’s largest democracies work together, it benefits our people and unlocks immense opportunities for mutually beneficial cooperation,” he wrote.
Praising Trump’s role on the global stage, Modi added that the US president’s leadership was “vital for global peace, stability, and prosperity” and said India looked forward to working closely with him to take the partnership “to unprecedented heights”.
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