India has never accepted mediation, will never do so, PM told Trump: Misri | India News
Sharing details about PM Modi’s phone conversation with US President Donald Trump, foreign secretary Vikram Misri said Trump was understanding of India’s position and backed its fight against terrorism. “Due to pre-scheduled commitments, PM Modi expressed his inability to drop by in DC on his way back from Canada,” Misri added.Modi left for Croatia from Canada for the first visit by an Indian PM to the EU country, but it was unlikely he would have agreed to land up at the White House around the time the president was preparing to host Pakistan army chief Asim Munir for lunch.As he briefed Trump about Operation Sindoor against terrorist camps in Pakistan, Modi said India now viewed terrorism as an act of war – not proxy war – and that the operation was still not over. Treating terrorism as an act of war is part of India’s ‘new normal’ laid out by the Sindoor exercise that followed the April 22 Pahalgam terrorist attack. There was no White House readout of the talks till late in the evening.After Pakistan retaliated, Modi told Trump, India made it clear it would respond to Pakistan’s bullets with cannonballs. This was also the message to vice-president J D Vance when he called Modi on May 9 – just before a sharp escalation that ended with India’s punitive strikes on key Pakistani airbases – and warned that Pakistan might launch a major attack on India.“Prime Minister Modi had firmly told him that if such an event occurred, India would respond with an even stronger counteraction,” Misri said in his account of the Modi-Trump conversation. The two had last spoken on April 22, shortly after Pahalgam attack.According to Misri, Modi told Trump that on the night of May 9-10, India responded robustly to Pakistan’s attack, causing significant damage to the Pakistani military by rendering its airbases inoperable. Due to India’s strong retaliation, Pakistan was compelled to request India to halt military actions, Modi said.“The discussion on halting military actions took place directly between India and Pakistan through existing military channels, at Pakistan’s request. PM Modi emphasised that India has never accepted mediation, does not accept it, and will never accept it,” Misri said in his statement, adding there was complete political consensus in India on this issue. Modi’s remarks are seen as a pushback against Trump’s attempts to draw an equivalence between India and Pakistan, citing friendly ties with both countries and disregarding India’s position that it is the victim, not the aggressor.The leaders also discussed the ongoing Israel-Iran conflict and the Russia-Ukraine war. On Ukraine, both agreed that direct talks between the two sides were essential for peace at the earliest, and efforts should continue towards this goal.Both leaders agreed to meet soon, and Modi reiterated his invitation to Trump for the Quad summit that India will host this year. Trump accepted the invitation, saying he was keen on visiting India. “Regarding the Indo-Pacific region, both leaders shared their perspectives and expressed support for the significant role of the Quad in the region,” Misri said.Modi also told Trump that India had conveyed its “firm resolve” to act against terrorism to the entire world and that India’s Op Sindoor targeted only terrorist hideouts in Pakistan and POK. India’s actions were measured, precise, and non-escalatory, he added.
