Trump had claimed that India and Pakistan agreed to the ceasefire after he mentioned that the conflict would affect trade with the US.
Published May 14, 2025 | 11:08 AM ⚊ Updated May 14, 2025 | 11:08 AM
Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Official Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal.
Synopsis: MEA Official Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said that there were no discussions between India and the US on any trade-related matters. Jaiswal also rejected Trump’s offer to mediate on the Kashmir issue and said it would be addressed bilaterally.
The Indian government formally rejected the claim made by US President Donald Trump that he stopped a nuclear war between India and Pakistan by threatening to halt trade with the nations.
Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Official Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said on Tuesday, 13 May, that there were no discussions between India and the US on any trade-related matters.
“From the time Operation Sindoor commenced on 7 May, till the understanding on cessation of firing and military action on 10 May, there were conversations between Indian and US leaders on the evolving military situation. The issue of trade did not come up in any of these discussions,” Jaiswal said.
Jaiswal also rejected Trump’s offer to mediate on the Kashmir issue and said it would be addressed bilaterally.
“We have a long-standing national position that any issues pertaining to the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir have to be addressed by India and Pakistan bilaterally. That stated policy has not changed. As you are aware, the outstanding matter is the vacation of illegally occupied Indian territory by Pakistan,” he said.
On Monday, Trump had claimed that India and Pakistan agreed to the ceasefire after he mentioned that the conflict would affect trade with the US.
“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’ll do trade. If you don’t stop it, we’re not going to do any trade,” Trump said.
“And all of a sudden, they said, I think we’re going to stop,” Trump said, crediting trade leverage for influencing both nations’ decision. “For a lot of reasons, but trade is a big one,” he said.
This is not the first time that the Indian authorities have made statements contradicting what Trump had told the media.
Earlier, it was Trump who announced the ceasefire between India and Pakistan, saying he brokered peace between the two nations. However, soon after, India affirmed the talks were worked out “directly between the two countries”.
When asked about Trump’s claim that he spoke to both capitals and stopped a nuclear war, Jaiswal said: “As regards conversations with other nations, the message from India was clear and consistent. And exactly the same message that we were conveying from public platforms was the one conveyed in private conversations.”
However, Trump reiterated his claim on Tuesday, during his visit to Saudi Arabia.
“Just days ago, my administration successfully brokered a historic ceasefire to stop the escalating violence between India and Pakistan. I used trade to a large extent. I said, let’s make a deal, let’s do some trading. Let’s not trade nuclear missiles. Let’s trade the things you make so beautifully. And they both have very powerful leaders, strong leaders, and it all stopped. Hopefully it will remain that way,” he said.
Jaiswal stressed that India agreed to a ceasefire after Pakistani officials reached out to India. He added that the Indus Waters Treaty will be kept in abeyance until Pakistan credibly and irrevocably abjures its support for cross-border terrorism.
Meanwhile, Jaiswal said on Wednesday that India rejected China’s attempt to rename places in Arunachal Pradesh.
“We have noticed that China has persisted with its vain and preposterous attempts to name places in the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh. Consistent with our principled position, we reject such attempts categorically. Creative naming will not alter the undeniable reality that Arunachal Pradesh was, is, and will always remain an integral and inalienable part of India,” he said in a press release.
(Edited by Muhammed Fazil.)
