‘India has not and will not accept any mediation’: PM Modi during 35-minute call with Trump

On Wednesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi informed US President Donald Trump that the agreement between India and Pakistan to stop military operations in May was reached directly through discussions between their respective armies, without any US involvement, countering the American leader’s assertions that he facilitated a ceasefire. The matter arose in a phone call requested by Trump after the two leaders could not meet during the G7 Summit in Canada due to the US president’s early return to the US, stated foreign secretary Vikram Misri.

During the 35-minute conversation, Modi told Trump that “India has never accepted mediation, does not and will never do so”, Misri said, speaking in Hindi. Modi made it clear to Trump that during the entire episode of the four days of military clashes between the two countries during May 7-10, issues such as the “India-US trade deal or mediation by the US between India and Pakistan” were not discussed “at no time [or] at any level”.

On May 10, Trump was the first to declare the cessation of hostilities between India and Pakistan, and an official American statement referred to the event as a ceasefire facilitated by the US. Since then, Trump has asserted on over a dozen instances that he persuaded India and Pakistan to cease hostilities, claiming he utilized the threat of halting trade with both nations in these efforts.

Modi’s comments on the matter are being revealed for the first time, while previously, only officials had refuted claims of a US involvement in the agreement between India and Pakistan to end the conflict that arose following New Delhi’s initiation of Operation Sindoor on May 7, aimed at targeting terrorist infrastructure in regions held by Pakistan in response to the April 22 Pahalgam attack that resulted in 26 civilian deaths.

The Indian strikes on May 7 resulted in four days of fierce confrontations, with both parties employing missiles, drones, and long-range weapons to attack each other’s military installations. The Indian authorities do not describe the agreement to stop hostilities, established by the Directors General of Military Operations (DGMOs) of both nations, as a ceasefire and have also asserted that Operation Sindoor continues.

Misri stated that a meeting between Modi and Trump was planned during the G7 Summit but couldn’t take place when the US President returned to the US early.  “Subsequently, at the request of President Trump, the two leaders spoke on the phone today,” he said.

This was the first conversation between the two leaders since Trump expressed condolences to Modi over phone after the Pahalgam terror attack and expressed his support in the fight against terrorism. “Therefore, Prime Minister Modi talked to President Trump in detail about Operation Sindoor,” Misri said.

Modi told Trump that after the Pahalgam attack, India “conveyed to the entire world its determination to take action against terrorism”. Modi said India targeted only terrorist hideouts in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir on May 7. “India’s actions were very measured, precise, and non-escalatory,” Misri said.

India also made it clear that it would “respond to Pakistan’s bullet with a cannon shell”, and on the night of May 9, US vice president JD Vance called Modi and said Pakistan “could launch a major attack on India”, Misri said.

Modi told Vance “in clear words that if this happens, India will give an even bigger reply to Pakistan”. Subsequently, India responded strongly to Pakistan’s attack on the night of May 9-10, inflicting heavy damage on Pakistan’s military and making its military airbases “inoperable”.

“Due to India’s strong response, Pakistan had to request India to stop military action. Prime Minister Modi made it clear to President Trump that during this entire episode, at no time, at any level, were issues such as India-US trade deal or mediation by the US between India and Pakistan discussed,” Misri said.

“The decision to halt military action was made directly between India and Pakistan, through existing channels of the two armies, and was made at the request of Pakistan. Prime Minister Modi stressed that India has never accepted mediation, does not and will never do so. There is complete political consensus in India on this issue,” he said.

Misri said Trump “understood the points made in detail” by Modi and expressed support for India’s fight against terrorism. Modi also said India “now sees terrorism as a war and not a proxy war, and India’s Operation Sindoor is still ongoing”.

Trump asked Modi if he could stop in the US on his way back from Canada, but Modi expressed his inability “due to pre-scheduled engagements”, Misri said. Modi travelled to Croatia from Canada for the last leg of a three-nation tour.

Misri said the two leaders decided they would try to meet in the near future. Trump and Modi also discussed the conflict between Israel and Iran and the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Misri said both leaders agreed that direct dialogue between Russia and Ukraine is necessary for “peace as soon as possible” and efforts should continue for this.

Trump and Modi also discussed the Indo-Pacific and “expressed support for the important role” of the Quad in this region. Modi invited Trump to visit India for the next Quad Leaders’ Summit and Trump “accepted the invitation and said that he is looking forward to visiting India”, Misri said. India is anticipated to organize the Quad Summit by the year’s end.