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3 big takeaways from PM Modi declining Trump's stopover request
PM Modi was scheduled to meet Trump on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in Canada, but the meeting could not take place as the president had to leave for the US earlier than scheduled to deal with the Israel-Iran conflict read more
US President Donald Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi shake hands, at the White House in Washington, DC, US, February 13, 2025. File Image/Reuters
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday held a 35-minute-long phone call with US President Donald Trump and clarified that Washington did not mediate between India and Pakistan, destroying the American leader's repeated claims that he played a role in halting the conflict.
In a call that was requested by Trump , PM Modi gave a detailed briefing to the president about Operation Sindoor. This was the first direct conversation between the two leaders since the Pahalgam attack of April 22.
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PM Modi was scheduled to meet Trump on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in Canada, but the meeting could not take place as the president had to leave for the US earlier than scheduled to deal with the Israel-Iran conflict.
The US president, however. tried to reschedule his meeting with PM Modi. Here's how the events unfolded during their phone call:
PM Modi is on his way to Croatia after concluding his trip to Canada, where he attended the G7 Summit. Trump reportedly asked PM Modi to stopover in the US before heading to the European nation. This request was denied as PM Modi said he honours Croatia and is the first prime minister ever to visit the country
Meanwhile, Trump is slated to meet Pakistan's Army Chief Asim Munir today (Wednesday) over lunch, where they are likely to discuss the India-Pakistan conflict. So, if Trump's request for a US stopover had been accepted, he would have met PM Modi on the same day as he is scheduled to meet Munir
During the phone call, PM Modi directly addressed Trump's repeated claims of mediation through trade to bring an end to the India-Pakistan conflict. Indian government officials have been reiterating that the prime minister never spoke to the US president during or after the launch of Operation Sindoor. In the phone call today, PM Modi told Trump that he had only talked to US Vice President JD Vance, who had called him to warn that Pakistan might launch a retaliatory attack
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