No NSA Visit, No Talks? MEA Rebuts Bloomberg Report Amid Trade Deal Buzz

New Delhi: The Ministry of External Affairs on Wednesday categorically rejected reports that India’s National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval had visited the United States to discuss a trade deal. “There is no truth to the Bloomberg report. No such discussion or visit took place,” said MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal. The Bloomberg report had claimed that in September last year, NSA Doval told US Secretary of State Marco Rubio that India would wait until the end of Donald Trump’s term to finalise a trade pact, asserting that New Delhi would not be “bullied” into signing by the US administration.Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in a post on Truth Social on Monday, thanked President Trump for reducing tariffs on Indian exports, but did not mention

Russian oil purchases or formally announce a trade deal. Following this, Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal confirmed that India and the US have finalised a trade deal, noting that American tariffs on Indian goods will be reduced from 25% to 18%. However, he did not comment on Russian oil purchases.

On Visit Of US Congressmen To India

MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said that a bipartisan United States Congressional delegation comprising Representative Mike Rogers (R-Alabama), Representative Adam Smith (D-Washington), and Representative Jimmy Patronis (R-Florida), along with senior staff members, visited India from 25–27 January 2026.Representative Rogers is the Chairman and Representative Smith the Ranking Member of the House Armed Services Committee of the US Congress, while Representative Patronis serves on the House Committees on Transportation and Infrastructure and Small Business. During the visit, the delegation called on the External Affairs Minister and met with the Defence Secretary. Discussions covered various aspects of India–US relations, including trade negotiations, developments in the Indo-Pacific and the situation in Ukraine. "They also interacted with industry representatives, particularly from the defence sector. The visit was part of our regular exchanges with the US Congress, which remain an important component of the India-US Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership," Jaiswal mentioned.