‘Tough as hell’: Trump hails ‘great-looking guy’ PM Modi as he repeats India-Pak ceasefire claim

US President Donald Trump has once again heaped praise on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, this time calling him a “great looking guy” and “tough as hell”. He, however, reiterated his claim of brokering a ceasefire between India and Pakistan.

Speaking at a luncheon for Apec CEOs, Trump shared his account of events from earlier this year, asserting that he prevented a “war” between the two nuclear-armed neighbours by applying trade pressure.

“Prime Minister Modi he’s a great-looking guy. But he’s a killer — tough as hell. He (PM Modi) said, ‘No, we will fight.’ I said, ‘Whoa, this is the same man I know?” Trump said, recalling April’s conflict between India and Pakistan.

#WATCH | US President Donald Trump says, "I'm doing a trade deal with India, and I have great respect and love for Prime Minister Modi. We have a great relationship. Likewise, the Prime Minister of Pakistan is a great guy. They have a Field Marshal. You know why he's a Field… pic.twitter.com/ZbxkpSnBl1

— ANI (@ANI) October 29, 2025

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He added, “If you look at India and Pakistan — I was doing a trade deal with India, and I have great respect and love for Prime Minister Modi. They were really going at it.”

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The president claimed once again that he stopped the conflict between the two neighbours by threatening trade measures. “I told Prime Minister Modi, ‘We can’t make a deal with you right now because you’re fighting with Pakistan.’ Then I called the Pakistani Prime Minister and told him we can’t make a deal with you because you are fighting India,” Trump said.

What has India said?

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has denied US role in mediation between the two neighbouring countries.

In an interview with Newsweek, Jaishankar said, “I can tell you that I was in the room when Vice President Vance spoke to Prime Minister Modi on the night of May 9, saying that the Pakistanis would launch a very massive assault on India…We did not accept certain things, and the Prime Minister was impervious to what the Pakistanis were threatening to do.”

“On the contrary, he (PM Modi) indicated that there would be a response from us,” he added.

The next communication with Washington occurred the following morning, when the Foreign Minister spoke with the US Secretary of State. During the conversation, Marco Rubio conveyed that “the Pakistanis were ready to talk,” Jaishankar added.