In a high-stake diplomatic maneuver, US President Donald Trump held a phone call with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi just hours before his scheduled lunch meeting with Pakistan’s Army Chief Asim Munir at the White House, officials confirmed Tuesday.
The call, which lasted 35 minutes, was initiated by Trump and focused primarily on the regional security landscape following India’s recent military operations in Jammu and Kashmir. Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri briefed the press on the exchange, calling it “a clear communication of India’s position.”
“Prime Minister Modi told President Trump that India no longer considers terrorism a proxy war but an act of war. Operation Sindoor is still continuing,” Misri said, referring to the counterinsurgency offensive launched after last month’s deadly attacks in Pahalgam.
Trump reportedly inquired about the ceasefire recently announced between Indian and Pakistani forces. Modi, according to Misri, firmly clarified that the ceasefire was a product of direct military-to-military communication and not international mediation. “India has never accepted third-party mediation and will not accept such mediation in the future,” Misri quoted the Prime Minister as telling Trump.
Sources also confirmed that Trump extended an invitation to Modi to visit the United States during this period, which Modi declined citing a “pre-existing schedule.” Trump’s meeting with Asim Munir proceeded as planned later in the day, with White House officials declining to comment on the substance of the conversation. However, the prior phone call with Modi is seen as a calculated step to reinforce India’s strategic narrative before any potential shift in tone between Washington and Islamabad.
This marks the first direct India-US leader-level contact since the outbreak of the reneTrump briefed by Modi Modiwed Kashmir hostilities.