Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has firmly told U.S. President Donald Trump that India will not accept any third-party mediation with Pakistan on the Kashmir issue, according to India’s top diplomat.

Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said Modi conveyed India’s longstanding stance during a phone conversation with Trump earlier this week, stressing that Kashmir is a bilateral matter and not open to external intervention.

Trump has repeatedly offered to mediate between India and Pakistan to resolve what he calls the “Kashmir issue,” particularly since a brief but intense four-day conflict erupted between the two nuclear-armed neighbors in May.

The White House has not issued any statement in response to India’s assertions.

Misri also clarified that Modi told Trump there had been no discussions during the conflict on a U.S.-India trade deal or any American role in brokering peace between India and Pakistan.

Trump has previously claimed credit for helping end the hostilities by leveraging trade negotiations. While Pakistan has supported this version, India has consistently denied any U.S. involvement.

“The discussions on halting military actions were conducted directly between Indian and Pakistani military officials through existing communication channels,” Misri said.

Last month, Trump told reporters: “I said, ‘Come on, we’re going to do a lot of trade with you guys [India and Pakistan]. Let’s stop it. If you stop it, we’ll do a trade. If you don’t stop it, we’re not going to do any trade.’”

India is currently racing to finalize a trade agreement with the U.S. before a 90-day pause on increased tariffs ends on July 9.

Kashmir: A Long-Standing Dispute

Kashmir remains one of the most volatile and contested regions in the world. Both India and Pakistan claim the region in its entirety, but each controls only parts of it. Despite decades of bilateral negotiations, no resolution has been reached.

India considers Kashmir an integral part of its territory and has consistently opposed international involvement in the matter.

Tensions flared once again in April when 26 people, mostly tourists, were killed in an attack in Indian-administered Kashmir. India blamed Pakistan for the incident, an accusation Islamabad denied.

In May, India responded with airstrikes on what it described as terrorist camps within Pakistan, sparking four days of cross-border military exchanges. Both nations accused each other of targeting military infrastructure, including airbases.

On May 10, Trump announced that India and Pakistan had agreed to a “full and immediate ceasefire,” which he claimed was brokered by the U.S. He later posted on Truth Social: “I will work with you both to see if, after a thousand years, a solution can be arrived at concerning Kashmir.” (The Kashmir dispute dates back to 1947.)

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio echoed Trump’s remarks the same day, stating that India and Pakistan had agreed to hold talks on a range of issues at a neutral venue.

On May 11, Trump once again praised both nations’ leaders for recognizing that “it was time to stop the current aggression,” and expressed pride in the U.S. role in achieving what he described as a “historic and heroic” agreement.

Pakistan’s foreign minister later confirmed the ceasefire and said that diplomatic efforts had involved “three dozen countries.” India, however, continues to deny any foreign mediation.

India’s Diplomatic Red Lines

Analysts suggest Trump’s public and repeated statements about mediating the Kashmir dispute have tested New Delhi’s diplomatic limits. India has long urged its Western allies to avoid treating it and Pakistan as equal stakeholders in such matters and discourages simultaneous diplomatic visits to both countries.

Trump’s habit of equating India and Pakistan in his messaging has raised concerns in Indian diplomatic circles. Still, experts say it remains unclear whether this will impact the progress of U.S.-India trade negotiations.