New Delhi: There was no reference to trade in talks between top leaders of India and the US during the India-Pakistan military conflict, government sources said on Monday after American President Donald Trump claimed that he pressured New Delhi and Islamabad to stop hostilities by threatening to cut trade with both countries.
US Vice President JD Vance spoke to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on May 9 but there was no reference to trade in the conversation, the sources said.
“After Operation Sindoor commenced, Vice President Vance spoke to the prime minister on May 9,” a source said.
“Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on May 8 and May 10 and to NSA (National Security Advisor) Ajit Doval on May 10. There was no reference to trade in any of these discussions,” they said.
The source-based clarification came after Trump on Monday said he forced the two countries to stop the hostilities by using the trade card.
“I said, ‘Come on, we’re going to do a lot of trade with you guys. Let’s stop it. Let’s stop it. If you stop it, we’re doing trade. If you don’t stop it, we’re not going to do any trade’,” Trump said at a press conference in the White House.
The US president’s remarks came at a time India and the US are engaged in negotiations to firm up an ambitious trade deal.
In his remarks, Trump added, “People have never really used trade the way I used it, that I can tell you. And all of a sudden they (India and Pakistan) said, ‘I think we’re going to stop.’” “And they have, and they did it for a lot of reasons, but trade is a big one. We’re going to do a lot of trade with Pakistan. We’re going to do a lot of trade with India,” he said.
“We’re negotiating with India right now. We’re going to be soon negotiating with Pakistan, and we stopped a nuclear conflict,” Trump claimed.
The US president again claimed that his administration helped broker what he described as a “full and immediate ceasefire” between India and Pakistan.
“On Saturday, my administration helped broker a full and immediate ceasefire, I think, a permanent one, between India and Pakistan, ending a dangerous conflict between two nations with lots of nuclear weapons,” Trump said.
India and Pakistan reached an understanding on Saturday to end the conflict after four days of intense cross-border drone and missile strikes.
Indian government sources have been maintaining that the Director Generals of Military Operations (DGMOs) of India and Pakistan reached the understanding to stop all firings and military actions and no third party was involved.
