Washington: US President Donald Trump said that the two “very smart” leaders of India and Pakistan “decided” not to pursue a war that had the potential to become nuclear—a notable shift, as it marked the first time in weeks he refrained from claiming credit for halting tensions between the neighbouring nations.
He made these remarks during a media interaction in the Oval Office on Wednesday, following a White House lunch with Pakistan's Chief of Army Staff, Asim Munir.
When asked about Iran, President Trump said General Munir was well-informed on the matter and agreed with his perspective. He added that he invited Munir to thank him for not entering the conflict and reiterated ongoing efforts to finalise trade deals with both India and Pakistan, noting Prime Minister Modi had recently departed.
“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.” This is the first time in weeks when Trump did not take credit for stopping the military conflict between India and Pakistan.
Since May 10, when India and Pakistan decided to stop the military conflict, Trump has repeatedly claimed on multiple occasions that he “helped settle” tensions between the two countries and that he told the nuclear-armed South Asian neighbours that America would do a “lot of trade” with them if they stopped the conflict.
Modi and Trump were expected to meet on the sidelines of the G7 Leaders' Summit in Kananaskis, Canada, but the American president returned to Washington ahead of schedule.
Before leaving Kananaskis and concluding his first visit to Canada in a decade, Modi held a 35-minute phone call with Trump.
In a video message from Kananaskis, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri stated that Modi told Trump that at “no point” during Operation Sindoor was there any discussion, at any level, on an India-US trade deal or any proposal for mediation by the US between India and Pakistan.
Misri clarified that the decision to end military action was reached directly between India and Pakistan through established communication channels between their armed forces and that Islamabad initiated the process.
He also noted that after the April 22 Pahalgam attack, Trump called Modi to offer condolences and reiterated his support for India’s stance against terrorism.
The Tuesday phone conversation in Kananaskis marked the “first conversation” between the two leaders since April.
Earlier that day, Trump said he spoke to Modi, “a fantastic man”, and affirmed that the two nations would reach a trade deal while reiterating his claim that he stopped a war between India and Pakistan.
Trump was asked what he was looking to achieve diplomatically from the meeting with Munir. “This man was extremely influential in stopping it from the Pakistan side,” Trump said, referring to the army chief.
(inputs from PTI)