https://arab.news/ws8d6
- Trump announced a ceasefire between the two nuclear-armed neighbors in May after a fierce military standoff
- New Delhi has since disputed any third-party involvement, saying it continues to deal with Pakistan bilaterally
ISLAMABAD: United States President Donald Trump on Tuesday said he had spoken to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging him to avoid a war with Pakistan as he addressed a group of Indian nationals at a Diwali event in the Oval Office in Washington.
Nuclear-armed India and Pakistan reached an understanding on May 10 to halt all military actions on land, in the air and at sea in a ceasefire announced by Trump, under which both sides agreed not to escalate hostilities that had spiraled alarmingly in a brief but intense conflict threatening regional peace. The two neighbors had traded fire using fighter jets, drones, missiles and artillery in their worst fighting in decades, leaving around 70 people dead on both sides of the border.
Trump has since taken credit for ending the conflict, though New Delhi has disputed the involvement of any third party, insisting that India continues to deal with Pakistan bilaterally.
“I just spoke to your Prime Minister today,” Trump told attendees at the Oval Office. “We had a great conversation. We talked about trade ... Although we did talk a little while ago about let’s have no wars with Pakistan. And I think the fact that trade was involved, I was able to talk about that. And we have no war with Pakistan and India. That was a very, very good thing.”
Last week, Trump said at a White House dinner that Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had recently met him and “emotionally” credited him in front of a group of people for stopping multiple wars, saying millions of lives could have been lost in the conflicts.
Trump also told the gathering the Indian leader had assured him that New Delhi would not be buying “too much oil” from Russia, an issue that has become another sticking point between the two countries.
The US has imposed a 25 percent tariff on Indian goods over its Russian oil purchases, bringing the total import taxes on India this year to 50 percent.
The two sides are continuing their trade talks.