The Indian government today rejected US President Donald Trump's claim that he helped broker a ceasefire between India and Pakistan in exchange for trade concessions.
Randir Jaiswal, a spokesman for India's foreign ministry, said leaders in New Delhi and Washington were in contact last week after the Indian military clash with Pakistan, but there were no talks on trade.
"The issue of trade did not come up in any of these talks," Jaiswal said, referring to talks between US Vice President J.D. Vance and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, as well as between US Secretary of State Mark Rubio and his Indian counterpart Jaishankar.
After India and Pakistan agreed on Saturday to what was a US-brokered ceasefire agreement to halt military action on land, in the air and at sea, Trump told reporters on Monday that he had offered both countries trade assistance if they agreed to de-escalate.
The militaries of India and Pakistan have been in one of their most serious clashes in decades since last Wednesday, when India attacked targets in Pakistan it said were linked to militants responsible for the massacre of 26 tourists last month in Indian-controlled Kashmir.
Trump said he not only helped broker a ceasefire but also offered to mediate on the simmering dispute over Kashmir, a Himalayan region that both India and Pakistan claim in full but administer in part. The two countries have already fought two wars over Kashmir.
New Delhi also rejected Trump's offer of mediation. "We have a long-standing national position that all issues related to the federally controlled territory of Jammu and Kashmir must be resolved bilaterally by India and Pakistan. There has been no change in that policy," Jaiswal said.
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