The report says Doval, during a closed-door meeting in Washington, conveyed that New Delhi was willing to repair strained ties with the United States and resume trade talks, but would not negotiate under pressure. He reportedly told Rubio that if the Donald Trump administration continued to take a hard public line against India, New Delhi was prepared to wait until the current US presidency ended.
The meeting came shortly after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to China in early September, where he met Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin. At the time, India–US relations were under strain due to sharp remarks by President Trump, including criticism of India’s economy and the imposition of steep tariffs on Indian goods.
According to Bloomberg, Doval also urged Washington to rein in public statements critical of India, arguing that such remarks were worsening the political climate and undermining trust. India was particularly aggrieved by a 50% tariff announced in August and by accusations that it was indirectly supporting the Ukraine war by purchasing Russian oil.
The report notes that the diplomatic tone began to shift soon after the meeting. On September 16, President Trump called Prime Minister Modi on his birthday and praised his leadership. The two leaders spoke several more times before the end of the year, and officials on both sides quietly resumed efforts toward a tariff-reduction agreement.
That process culminated earlier this week when Trump announced on social media that the US had reduced tariffs on Indian goods to 18% and withdrawn additional penalties linked to Russian oil purchases. While Trump claimed India had committed to major purchases of US goods and energy, New Delhi has yet to formally confirm the details, and no written agreement has been made public.
Bloomberg reports that even senior officials in New Delhi were surprised by the timing of the announcement, underscoring the sensitivity of the negotiations.
Indian officials quoted in the report stressed that the US remains a critical long-term partner for India’s economic and strategic goals, particularly in technology, defence and countering China’s influence. At the same time, New Delhi continues to diversify its global partnerships, maintaining close ties with Russia and expanding trade with Europe and the UK to avoid overdependence on any single country.
Despite recent tensions, analysts cited in the report say the fundamentals of the India–US relationship remain strong, with the US accounting for nearly one-fifth of India’s exports and billions of dollars in American investment flowing into the country.
