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The US has refused to comment on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s plainspeak to US President Donald Trump over a 35-minute call in June in which Modi said that US played no role in mediation between India and Pakistan during Operation Sindoor.
Responding for the first time to an Indian news network on this matter as well as the India-US trade negotiations, a US State Department spokesperson told CNN-NEWS18 that they are “proud of the US brokered ceasefire reached between India and Pakistan”. The spokesperson also urged India and Pakistan to “directly communicate (with each other) to avert future conflict.”
India, and PM Modi, have repeatedly disagreed with both these stands of the US, saying talks and terror can’t go together. CNN-NEWS18 had asked the US if President Trump was telling the truth regarding brokering a ceasefire between India and Pakistan, and what Modi had told Trump in June. “We do not comment on private diplomatic conversations,” a US spokesperson said.
The US State Department spokesperson, while responding to questions from CNN-NEWS18, also said that trade talks with India are on track. A US trade team had postponed its scheduled visit to India on August 25. “We value our ongoing engagement with the Government of India on trade and investment matters. We look forward to continuing to advance a trade agreement that leads to a productive and balanced trade relationship between our two countries,” the US spokesperson has told CNN-NEWS18.
On Operation Sindoor and Pakistan
CNN-NEWS18 had asked the US State Department in a set of queries about the phone call exchanged between Trump and Modi this June when Modi was in Canada for the G7 Summit. Modi, in this call, had done straight-talk with Trump saying the US had played no role in mediation between India and Pakistan on Operation Sindoor. The US did not issue a readout of this call.
“We do not comment on private diplomatic conversations,” a US State Department spokesperson has told CNN-NEWS18.
“We are proud of the US brokered ceasefire reached between India and Pakistan, and we commend prime ministers Modi and Sharif for choosing the path of peace,” the spokesperson responded.
The spokesperson further said: “As President Trump has said, both leaders showed strength, wisdom and fortitude.”
Further, the US state department spokesperson told CNN-NEWS18 that India and Pakistan should speak to each other to avoid future conflict.
“Maintaining the ceasefire is critical to preserving regional stability, and we continue to urge both countries to engage in direct communication to avert future conflict,” the US spokesperson said.
CNN-NEWS18 had asked the US if Trump was lying on the issue of the ceasefire, and if he was upset that PM Modi declined his invitation to stop over in the US while on his way back from Canada.
Trade Deal Negotiations On: US Tells CNN-NEWS18
CNN-NEWS18 had also asked the US if the tariffs announcement for India had hurt the India-US strategic relationship. Trump announced 25 per cent tariffs for India earlier this month and has threatened with 25 per cent secondary tariffs from August 27 because India is buying Russian Oil.
“We value our ongoing engagement with the Government of India on trade and investment matters and look forward to continuing to advance a trade agreement that leads to a productive and balanced trade relationship between our two countries,” a US State Department spokesperson said in response to the query.
This would raise hope, as the Indian side has been saying, that both countries could strike a trade deal later this year and negotiations were on – but India has made it clear that it would not compromise with the interests of its farmers and fishermen.
“The President (Trump) has made clear his desire to correct longstanding imbalances in international trade and bring back fairness to our trade relationships,” the US State Department spokesperson told CNN-NEWS18.
