New York/Washington: Hours after holding a phone conversation with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, US President Donald Trump on Wednesday repeated his claim that he stopped a war between India and Pakistan.
In comments to reporters, Trump described Modi as “a fantastic man” and asserted that the two countries will have a trade deal.
“Well, I stopped the war…. I love Pakistan. I think Modi is a fantastic man. I spoke to him last night. We’re going to make a trade deal with Modi of India. But I stopped the war between Pakistan and India,” Trump said Wednesday.
Trump, who is hosting Pakistan Army Chief Asim Munir for lunch at the White House Wednesday, was asked what he is looking forward to achieving diplomatically from the meeting with the Pakistani general.
“This man was extremely influential in stopping it from the Pakistan side,” Trump said, referring to Munir.
“Modi, from the India side, and others. They were going at it, and they’re both nuclear countries. I got it stopped. I don’t think I had one story. Did I have one story written… I stopped the war between two major nations, major nuclear nations. I don’t think I had a story written about it,” he said, adding that the people know.
In a nearly 35-minute phone call with Trump on Tuesday, Modi firmly stated that India does not and will “never accept” mediation and that the discussions between Indian and Pakistani militaries on cessation of military actions were initiated at Islamabad’s request, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said.
India and Pakistan reached an understanding on May 10 to end the conflict after four days of intense cross-border drone and missile strikes.
Indian government sources in New Delhi have maintained that the Director Generals of Military Operations (DGMOs) of India and Pakistan reached an understanding to stop all firings and military actions on land, air and sea with immediate effect. They said no third party was involved.
On May 10, Trump claimed on social media that India and Pakistan had agreed to a “full and immediate” ceasefire after a “long night” of talks mediated by Washington.
He has repeated the claim over a dozen times that he “helped settle” the tensions between India and Pakistan. Trump said that he told the nuclear-armed South Asian neighbours that America will do a “lot of trade” with them if they stopped the conflict.
