‘Talked About Trade… No Wars With Pakistan’: Trump Dials Modi Again Amid Earlier Dispute Over Phone Call

US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that he had spoken with Prime Minister Narendra Modi to discuss trade and India’s relations with Pakistan. Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, Trump described Modi as “a great person” and “a great friend” while extending Diwali greetings to the people of India. “Let me extend our warmest wishes to the people of India. I just spoke to your Prime Minister today. Had a great conversation. We talked about trade… He’s very interested in that,” Trump said. “Although we did talk a little while ago about let’s have no wars with Pakistan. The fact that trade was involved, I was able to talk about that. And we have no war with Pakistan and India. That was a very, very good thing. He’s a great person, and he’s become a great friend of mine over the years.” The US President also used the occasion to claim that his administration was achieving “total peace” in the Middle East.Also Read: India Fact-Checks Trump’s Claim on PM Modi Call Over Russian Oil “We are forging peace all over the world… We’re getting everybody to get along. I just got a call from the Middle East. We’re doing very well there,” he said. Trump claimed that “many countries” had joined peace efforts, adding: “The Hamas situation, they’re pretty violent people. We could put that out in two minutes. We’re giving them a chance. They agreed that they’d be very good and straight. They wouldn’t be killing people. If they don’t honour the deal, they’ll be taken care of very quickly.” He added: “It is total peace in the Middle East; we have levels of friendship with everybody. Every country that hated each other now loves each other. Nobody ever saw anything like it.” Trump’s comments came a day after he repeated his claim that Modi had assured him India would stop buying Russian oil, a statement New Delhi has denied.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cVGMSc80PXU”I spoke with Prime Minister Modi of India, and he said he’s not going to be doing the Russian oil thing,” Trump said aboard Air Force One. When asked about India’s denial, he added: “But if they want to say that, then they’ll just continue to pay massive tariffs, and they don’t want to do that.” The remarks coincide with ongoing trade negotiations between Washington and New Delhi, following Trump’s decision to impose a 50% tariff on Indian imports, including a 25% penalty over India’s oil trade with Russia. India has repeatedly maintained that its energy purchases are guided by national security and market considerations rather than geopolitical alignments, arguing that affordable energy supplies are vital for its population.The Ministry of External Affairs, in its weekly presser, had clarified that no phone call occurred between the two leaders. MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal had told reporters, “… On the question of whether there was a conversation or a telephone call between Prime Minister Modi and President Trump, I am not aware of any conversation yesterday between the two leaders.”