No war with Pakistan, Trump tells Modi, stressing role of diplomacy and trade
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US President Donald Trump speaks at a Diwali celebration with Indian American leaders in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, on October 21, 2025.—Reuters
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US President Donald Trump said on Monday that he told Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi that war with Pakistan should be avoided, highlighting that he has averted several conflicts using diplomacy and trade leverage.
Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office during Diwali celebrations, Trump extended his “warmest wishes to the people of India” and said he had “just spoken to your prime minister today.” He described the conversation as “great” and said, “We talked about the trade … he’s very interested in it.”
Trump added that they also discussed avoiding conflict, saying, “Although we did not go to war with Pakistan a little while ago.” He noted the role of trade in reducing stress: “The fact that trade was involved, I was able to talk about it.”
The US president emphasized the outcome, saying, “And we don’t have a war with Pakistan and India. That was a very good thing.” He praised Modi personally, concluding: “He is a great person, and he has become a very good friend of mine over the years.”
The US president claimed that he has so far prevented eight wars due to what he described as “deals and trade”, including one between Pakistan and India.
“During the Pakistan India conflict, seven planes were shot down,” Trump said. “I called both countries and told them that if they went to war, America would stop trading with them. Within 24 hours, they called back and said they didn’t want to fight.”
Trump has previously been credited on multiple occasions for helping to defuse tensions between the two nuclear-armed neighbors, who have fought three wars since independence and are at odds over the disputed territory of Indian-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).
In May, Pakistan and India engaged in a military showdown, the worst between the decades-old foes, sparked by a terrorist attack on tourists in the Pahalgam area of Ayujak, which New Delhi said was backed by Pakistan.
Islamabad denied involvement in the Kashmir attack, which killed 26 people and was the worst attack on civilians in India since the 2008 Mumbai attacks.
Following the incident, India launched unprovoked attacks on Pakistan killing many innocent civilians for three days, before Pakistan’s armed forces retaliated in defense with the successful Operation Bunyan-i-Marsus.
Pakistan shot down six IAF fighter jets, including three Rafales, and dozens of drones. After at least 87 hours, the war between the two nuclear-armed nations ended on May 10 with a cease-fire agreement brokered by the United States of America.
Trump added that energy was also part of the discussion, saying that Modi had assured him that India would limit oil purchases from Russia.
“He’s not going to buy more oil from Russia. He wants to see me end the war as much as possible,” he said.
India and China are the two top buyers of Russian marine crude exports.
Trump has recently targeted India for its purchases of Russian oil, imposing tariffs on Indian exports to the United States to discourage it from buying the country’s crude as he seeks to pressure Moscow to negotiate a peace deal in Ukraine.
Trump on Sunday reiterated that Modi had told him that India would stop buying Russian oil, while warning that New Delhi would continue to pay “massive” tariffs if it did not.
“I spoke with Prime Minister Modi of India, and he said he’s not going to talk about Russian oil,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One.
Asked about India’s claim that he was not aware of any conversations between Modi and Trump, Trump replied: “But if that’s what they want to say, then they’re just going to continue to pay massive tariffs, and they don’t want to do that.”
Russian oil has been a major concern for Trump in the long-running trade negotiations with India. The US government has said petroleum revenue funds Russia’s war in Ukraine.
India has become the biggest buyer of discounted Russian oil after the West pulled out of buying Western countries and imposed sanctions on Moscow for a 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
An Indian government official said on Saturday that trade talks between India and the US are going “in a nascent” manner.
An Indian delegation, which was in the US earlier this month for talks, has returned, the official declined to share further details. An email to India’s commerce ministry was not immediately responded to on Monday, which was a public holiday.
Trump said on Wednesday that Modi had assured him that day that India would end its purchases of Russian oil. India’s foreign ministry said it was not aware of any telephone conversation between the leaders that day, but said New Delhi’s primary concern was “protecting the interests of Indian consumers.”
A White House official said on Thursday that India had halved its purchases of Russian oil, but Indian sources said no immediate cuts were seen.
Sources said Indian refiners had already placed orders for November loadings, including some December arrivals, so any cuts would start showing up in December or January import numbers.
Russia’s oil imports are set to rise nearly 20 percent this month to 1.9 million barrels, according to estimates by commodities data firm Kepler, as Russia boosts exports after Ukrainian drones targeted its refineries.
