New Delhi: Sharing insights into Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent phone call with U.S. President Donald Trump, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri revealed that Modi firmly reiterated India’s long-standing stance against third-party mediation on its disputes, especially with Pakistan. “India has never accepted mediation, does not accept it, and will never accept it,” Misri quoted Modi as telling Trump, underlining a clear and consistent policy position backed by full political consensus in India.
During the call, Trump expressed support for India’s position and backed its fight against terrorism, Misri said. Modi also briefed Trump on Operation Sindoor, India’s military action targeting terrorist camps in Pakistan following the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam. Modi told Trump that India now considers terrorism an act of war—not just a proxy war—and that the operation is still ongoing. This framing, he said, reflects India’s ‘new normal’ in dealing with cross-border terrorism.
There was no White House readout of the conversation as of late evening.
Misri noted that Modi explained why he could not make a stop in Washington during his return from Canada, citing pre-scheduled engagements. Instead, Modi proceeded to Croatia—marking the first visit by an Indian prime minister to the EU nation. Sources indicated it was unlikely Modi would have agreed to visit the White House at a time when President Trump was preparing to host Pakistani army chief Gen. Asim Munir.
Modi also recounted to Trump India’s forceful response to Pakistan’s retaliatory actions. “India made it clear that any attack would be met with a stronger counterattack. We told them that Pakistan’s bullets would be answered with cannonballs,” Misri quoted Modi as saying. This same message was conveyed earlier to U.S. Vice-President J.D. Vance during a call on May 9, just before tensions peaked and India carried out punitive strikes on key Pakistani airbases.
According to Misri, Modi informed Trump that India’s strikes on the night of May 9-10 had rendered several Pakistani airbases inoperable, dealing a significant blow to the Pakistani military. Following this, Pakistan reached out via established military communication channels requesting India to halt further action. Modi stressed that this de-escalation was coordinated bilaterally—without any third-party involvement.
The leaders also discussed broader geopolitical issues, including the Israel-Iran conflict and the ongoing war in Ukraine. On Ukraine, both agreed on the urgency of direct negotiations between the warring parties and reiterated their commitment to supporting peace efforts.
Modi also extended an invitation to President Trump to attend the upcoming Quad summit hosted by India. Trump accepted, expressing eagerness to visit. Both leaders reaffirmed the strategic importance of the Indo-Pacific and the central role of the Quad in ensuring regional stability.
In closing, Modi underscored that India’s operations targeted only terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), and were carefully designed to be precise, proportionate, and non-escalatory.
