Prime Minister Narendra Modi told United States President Donald Trump in a telephonic conversation late on Tuesday that the ceasefire between India and Pakistan following their four-day conflict in May was the result of direct military-to-military talks and not due to any U.S. mediation, according to India’s top diplomat.
Trump had claimed last month that the nuclear-armed South Asian neighbours agreed to a ceasefire after talks mediated by the U.S., and that the hostilities ended after he urged the countries to focus on trade instead of war.
‘Direct Talks, No Mediation’
“PM Modi told President Trump clearly that during this period, there was no talk at any stage on subjects like India-U.S. trade deal or U.S. 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 spoke over the phone at the insistence of Trump on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Canada, which Modi attended as a guest. The call lasted 35 minutes.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the Modi-Trump call.
Pakistan has previously said that the ceasefire happened after its military returned a call the Indian military had initiated on May 7.
India-Pakistan Conflict
India and Pakistan were thrust into their most serious military confrontation in over a decade following the Indian Armed Forces’ launch of Operation Sindoor, a high-intensity strike aimed at neutralising terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).
The operation came in response to a deadly terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam, where Pakistan-sponsored terrorists killed 26 civilians, all men and mostly Hindu tourists.
Operation Sindoor, planned with precision, targeted terrorist launchpads and training camps deep inside PoK, and reportedly extended into Pakistani territory where key terror leaders were believed to be hiding.
The strikes were described by military officials as “swift, surgical, and decisive,” signalling a new phase in India’s counter-terror doctrine.
Pakistan retaliated with cross-border shelling and aerial sorties, leading to intense skirmishes along the LoC and the international border.
The conflict, which lasted four days, saw significant casualties on both sides, including civilians. Regional and global powers expressed alarm over the escalation between the two nuclear-armed neighbours, urging restraint.
(With inputs from Reuters)
