Washington: US President Donald Trump has said that two “very smart” leaders in India and Pakistan decided not to continue a conflict that could have turned nuclear. He made the remarks during an interaction with reporters in the Oval Office, after hosting Pakistan’s Army chief General Asim Munir for lunch at the White House.
“The reason I had him here, I want to thank him for not going into the war, ending the war. And I want to thank, as you know, Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi just left a little while ago, and we're working on a trade deal with India. We're working on a trade deal with Pakistan,” Trump told reporters.
Trump said he was glad the leaders of India and Pakistan, both “very smart people,” chose to step back from a conflict that could have turned nuclear.
“They were both here, but I was with Modi a few weeks ago. He was here actually, but now we speak to him. And I'm so happy that two smart people, plus you know, people on their staff too, but two smart people, two very smart people decided not to keep going with that war. That could have been a nuclear war. Those are two nuclear powers, big ones, big, big nuclear powers, and they decided that,” he added.
Trump earlier claimed that he “helped settle” tensions between India and Pakistan following their decision to halt military conflict on May 10. The US President also said he told the two nuclear-armed neighbors that America would do “a lot of trade” with them if they stopped the hostilities.
Trump was scheduled to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the G7 Leaders’ Summit in Kananaskis, Canada, but he returned to Washington ahead of schedule.
In a video message from Kananaskis, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said Modi conveyed to Trump that at “no point” during Operation Sindoor was there any discussion, at any level, about any proposal for American mediation between India and Pakistan.
Misri clarified that the decision to cease military operations was reached directly between India and Pakistan, through existing military-to-military communication channels, and was initiated at the request of Islamabad. He added that Modi firmly stated India would never accept third-party mediation and that there is full political consensus within the country on this position.
Trump accepts Modi's invite to Quad summitNew Delhi: US President Donald Trump has accepted India's invitation to attend the Quad Summit, which will take place in New Delhi later this year, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said. The telephonic conversation with US President Donald Trump took place on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in Canada. "For the next Quad meeting, PM Modi invited President Trump to India. While accepting the invitation, President Trump said that he is excited to come to India", Misri said in a video message. The Quad is a diplomatic partnership between Australia, India, Japan, and the United States committed to supporting an open, The Foreign Secretary also noted that the two leaders discussed the ongoing global developments. “President Trump and PM Modi also discussed the ongoing Israel-Iran conflict. Regarding the Russia-Ukraine conflict, both parties agreed that direct dialogue between the two sides is essential for achieving an early peace, and efforts should continue. The two leaders shared their perspectives on the Indo-Pacific region and expressed support for the important role of QUAD in the region.” |
