 "'Ceasefire talks happened directly between India, Pak': PM Modi rejects US mediation claim in Trump call")
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi told US President Donald Trump in a phone call on Wednesday (June 18) that India did not ask for mediation or talk about trade with the US regarding its recent ‘Operation Sindoor’.
This is a significant rejection of Washington’s claim that it ended a four-day conflict between New Delhi and Islamabad by using trade as leverage.
PM Modi stressed that the talks regarding halting military action took place directly between India and Pakistan, through existing channels between the two militaries, and that too at Pakistan’s own request.
On Kashmir mediation
PM Modi also rejected Washington’s suggestion of mediation in the Kashmir issue between India and Pakistan.
Prime Minister Modi firmly stated that India has never accepted mediation, does not accept it, and will never accept it.
President Trump asked PM Modi if he could make a stop in the US on his way back from Canada. Due to prior commitments, PM Modi expressed his inability to do so. Notably, the Indian leader is scheduled to visit Croatia on his way back home.
What PM Modi Told Trump in 35-Minute Call
During the phone call, PM Modi stated that India had strongly conveyed its resolve to combat terrorism globally following the Pahalgam terror attack.
He noted that on May 6-7 night, India precisely targeted only terrorist hideouts in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, with a measured, non-escalatory approach.
Modi stressed that India would respond to Pakistan’s bullets with shells and clarified that no discussions on a US-India trade deal or US mediation between India and Pakistan occurred.
He described terrorism as a full-scale war, not a proxy war, and confirmed that ‘Operation Sindoor’ is ongoing, with India ready to retaliate strongly to Pakistani gunfire.
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