NEW DELHI: India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi told United States President Donald Trump late on Tuesday (Jul 18) that a ceasefire between India and Pakistan after a four-day conflict in May was achieved through talks between the two militaries and not US mediation, India’s senior-most diplomat said.
Trump had said last month that the nuclear-armed South Asian neighbours agreed to a ceasefire after talks mediated by the US and that the hostilities ended after he urged the countries to focus on trade instead of war.
India has previously denied any third-party mediation and Tuesday’s phone call between Modi and Trump on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Canada, which Modi attended as a guest, is their first direct exchange since the May 7-10 conflict.
“PM Modi told President Trump clearly that during this period, there was no talk at any stage on subjects like India-US trade deal or US mediation between India and Pakistan,” Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said in a press statement.
“Talks for ceasing military action happened directly between India and Pakistan through existing military channels, and on the insistence of Pakistan. Prime Minister Modi emphasised that India has not accepted mediation in the past and will never do,” he said.
Misri said the two leaders were due to meet on the sidelines of G7 summit but Trump left a day early due to the situation in the Middle East.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the Modi-Trump call.
