‘No such meeting, no such visit’: India rebuts report on NSA Doval’s visit to US

India dismisses Bloomberg report claiming NSA Ajit Doval met US officials in Washington, saying no such visit or meeting took place between the two sides

Updated on: Feb 5, 2026, 20:09:37 IST

By Rezaul H Laskar

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New Delhi: India on Thursday dismissed a media report claiming that India-US relations improved after National Security Adviser Ajit Doval travelled to Washington last September and told American officials that New Delhi wouldn’t be bullied, with the External Affairs Ministry (EAM) saying that no such visit took place.

Bloomberg had reported that Doval met US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington during the visit in early September (AFP/ Representative photo)

“Regarding the report by Bloomberg, I would like to say that there is absolutely no basis for that report. No such meeting or no such visit has taken place,” External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said at a weekly media briefing when asked about the report.

Bloomberg had reported that Doval met US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington during the visit in early September and said the two nations should put the acrimony in their relations behind them and return to negotiating a trade deal. The report claimed Doval also told Rubio that India would not be bullied by US President Donald Trump and his top aides, and that New Delhi was willing to wait out Trump’s term.

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India-US ties had sharply deteriorated last August after Trump increased tariffs on Indian exports to 50% and accused India of financing Russia’s war in Ukraine through oil purchases. He also criticised India’s economic policies and tariff regime.

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 came almost a year after the two sides began negotiations on a bilateral trade agreement. Officials from both sides are currently finalising the contours of the trade deal.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Rezaul H Laskar
Rezaul Hasan Laskar is Foreign Editor with the Hindustan Times, which he joined in 2015. He began as a journalist in his hometown of Shillong in northeast India and has worked in newspapers and wire services over the years. He moved to New Delhi in 1997 and initially focused on defence, national security, Jammu and Kashmir and the northeast, while also working of foreign policy and international relations. He has been part of the media delegation accompanying PMs on foreign visits and has reported from destinations ranging from Tibet to Ukraine. Between 2007 and 2013, he was the Press Trust of India correspondent in Pakistan, one of only two Indian journalists allowed to report from the country. He extensively covered Pakistan’s domestic politics and the life of the common people, as well as the fallout of the 2008 Mumbai attacks on India-Pakistan relations and the subsequent trial in Pakistan of the suspects involved in the attack. As part of his reportage in Pakistan, he travelled the breadth of the country, from the Swat Valley to Balochistan. Reza’s first gig in journalism was writing a weekly music column, and music – especially classic rock – remains a keen interest. He is also a movie buff and a keen photographer.Read More

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