Just hours after US President Donald Trump said he spoke to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, government sources said there has been no recent contact between the two leaders.
Sources told news agency ANI, "There has been no recent contact between PM Modi and US President Donald Trump. Last conversation between them was on 4 April, 2020 on subject of Hydroxychloroquine. Yesterday, MEA had also made it clear that we're directly in touch with China through established mechanisms and diplomatic contacts."
Reiterating his offer to mediate on the border dispute between India and China, US President Donald Trump had said that he spoke to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is not in a "good mood" over the "big conflict" between the two countries. Interacting with journalists in the Oval Office of the White House on Thursday, Trump said a "big conflict" was going on between India and China.
"They like me in India. I think they like me in India more than the media likes me in this country. And, I like Modi. I like your prime minister a lot. He is a great gentleman," he said.
"They have a big conflict .India and China. Two countries with 1.4 billion people (each). Two countries with very powerful militaries. India is not happy and probably China is not happy," the president said when asked if he was worried about the border situation between India and China. "I can tell you; I did speak to Prime Minister Modi. He is not in a good mood about what is going on with China," Trump said.
Meanwhile, in New Delhi, the Ministry of External Affairs said on Thursday that India was engaged with China to resolve the border issue, in a carefully crafted reaction seen as virtual rejection of President Trump's offer. "We are engaged with the Chinese side to peacefully resolve it," External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said, replying to a volley of questions at an online media briefing.
Earlier, Trump had offered to mediate between India and Pakistan on the Kashmir issue, a proposal rejected by the Narendra Modi government which maintains that there is no role for any third party in bilateral issues.
