India has rejected US President Donald Trump’s claim that his administration single-handedly brokered a ceasefire between India and Pakistan.
Senior Indian officials stated that India had independently briefed key international partners—including fellow members of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad)—about its military actions against terror bases in Pakistan. They emphasised that these communications were not part of any mediation effort but were intended solely to keep partners informed.
“There was no mediation,” one official said, speaking on background. “Our engagement with the US was to brief them on what we had done, not to negotiate a ceasefire.”
The clarification comes days after Trump claimed that his vice-president, J.D. Vance, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio had successfully negotiated a “historic and heroic” ceasefire between the two nuclear-armed neighbours. According to Trump, the effort followed Vance’s phone call to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on May 9.
Vance had been in India when 26 tourists were killed by gunmen in Pahalgam. That incident prompted Indian airstrikes on May 7 targeting nine sites identified as “terror bases” inside Pakistani territory. Pakistan has denied the accusations and countered with its own claims, including the reported use of Chinese-supplied J-10 fighter jets.
In an address to the nation on Monday, Prime Minister Modi described the military operation as “paused,” but stopped short of referring to it as a ceasefire. Indian officials have instead characterised the current status as an “understanding,” not a formal cessation of hostilities.
Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, who has been in regular contact with the Trump administration, maintained “daily” communication throughout the crisis, according to the officials. They also confirmed that Vice-President Vance sought direct insight into developments “on the ground,” but reiterated that his role was observational, not mediatory.
Indian officials further confirmed that all Quad partners—the US, Japan, Australia and India—were kept informed throughout. “After the actions were taken, we briefed all important partners,” one official said, adding that the Pahalgam terror attack may feature in future Quad discussions.
While not a formal military alliance, the Quad conducts joint exercises and collaborates on strategic and security concerns in the Indo-Pacific region. India and the US have also strengthened bilateral defence cooperation, including intelligence sharing.
China, which opposes the Quad and is a close ally of Pakistan, has not responded to reports that New Delhi briefed the group on the conflict. Beijing has consistently criticised the Quad as a US-led effort to create “exclusive blocs” and stir “artificial tensions” in the region.
Meanwhile, India reaffirmed its long-standing position that Kashmir is a bilateral issue with Pakistan, rejecting any third-party intervention. New Delhi maintains that the only outstanding matters are the return of “Pakistan-occupied Kashmir” and the end of Pakistani support for terrorism.
Indian officials also noted Pakistan’s reliance on imported military hardware, stating that over 80 percent of its defence equipment is sourced from abroad, though they refrained from naming the suppliers.
Pakistan claimed it used Chinese J-10 jets in response to Indian airstrikes. India has not confirmed these losses but said it had destroyed an air-defence system in Lahore and inflicted serious damage on three Pakistani airbases, including Nur Khan Air Base in Rawalpindi, a critical site for Pakistan’s military and nuclear command.
The latest conflict, while momentarily de-escalated, has once again underscored the volatility of India-Pakistan relations and the challenges faced by external powers seeking to play a role in South Asian security.