US President Donald Trump has, for the first time in weeks, acknowledged that the decision to avoid further military conflict between India and Pakistan was made by their own leaders — Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Pakistan’s Army Chief Asim Munir — without taking credit himself for defusing tensions.
Speaking to the press in the Oval Office after hosting General Munir for lunch at the White House on Wednesday, Trump said, “I want to thank him for not going into the war, ending the war… I’m so happy that two smart people… decided not to keep going with that war. That could have been a nuclear war.”
The remarks are a notable shift from Trump’s earlier statements, in which he repeatedly claimed to have played a central role in resolving tensions between the two nuclear-armed neighbours. Since May 10 — when India and Pakistan agreed to de-escalate hostilities — Trump had suggested that he persuaded both nations by promising trade benefits if they pulled back.
Trump also mentioned that Modi had recently visited and that both countries were working on trade deals with the US. However, a planned face-to-face meeting between the two leaders on the sidelines of the G7 Leaders’ Summit in Kananaskis, Canada, did not happen due to Trump’s early departure. Instead, they spoke by phone for 35 minutes.
Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, speaking from Kananaskis, clarified that there was no discussion of a trade deal or US mediation during India’s internal military operation, codenamed Operation Sindoor. He emphasized that India and Pakistan resolved the matter through direct military communication, initiated at Islamabad’s request.
“There was no proposal for mediation and no acceptance of any,” Misri said, adding that Prime Minister Modi firmly conveyed to Trump that India will never accept third-party mediation on bilateral issues with Pakistan. He stressed that there is full political consensus in India on this position.
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