Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has firmly rejected any possibility of third-party mediation in the Kashmir conflict, telling U.S. President Donald Trump that India will not accept external involvement in the decades-old dispute with Pakistan. The statement, conveyed by India’s Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, comes after Trump made repeated offers to mediate between the two nuclear-armed neighbours.
During a phone conversation between the two leaders, Modi emphasized that India’s position on Kashmir remains unchanged: the issue is strictly bilateral and must be resolved without foreign intervention. “Modi strongly conveyed that no mediation on Kashmir will be accepted, and that talks if any must happen directly between India and Pakistan,” Misri stated.
Trump has previously claimed that a U.S.-brokered ceasefire helped end a four-day conflict in May following an Indian airstrike on what it termed terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan. Both countries engaged in intense military exchanges before announcing a ceasefire on May 10. Trump later declared that India and Pakistan had agreed to “a full and immediate ceasefire” with U.S. support, a version backed by Pakistan but firmly denied by India.
Adding to the tension, Trump also stated he had leveraged trade incentives to push for peace, saying, “If you stop it, we’ll do a trade. If you don’t stop it, we’re not going to do any trade.” However, Misri clarified that no discussions on trade or mediation occurred during the conflict period.
India maintains that Kashmir is an integral part of its territory and continues to resist any internationalisation of the issue. The latest escalation in April, which left 26 dead in an attack on tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir, was blamed by India on Pakistan, a charge Islamabad denied.
Analysts suggest Trump’s public comments equating India and Pakistan have unsettled Delhi’s diplomatic circles. Traditionally, India has discouraged its Western allies from treating the two nations as equals or engaging both sides simultaneously on regional issues.
Despite the diplomatic friction, both countries are still working to finalize a trade deal before the expiration of a 90-day tariff pause on July 9. Whether this dispute over Kashmir mediation will influence those talks remains to be seen.
