External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar informed the Lok Sabha on Monday that there was no connection to trade at any point during discussions between India and the US amidst the conflict with Pakistan, refuting President Donald Trump’s repeated assertions that he utilized trade to prevent the two nations from engaging in combat.

While addressing the Lok Sabha, Jaishankar emphasized that there had been no communication between Donald Trump and PM Modi from April 22 (the date of the Pahalgam terror attack) until June 17 (the day the India-Pakistan ceasefire was declared).

Providing insights into India’s talks with the US during Operation Sindoor, Jaishankar mentioned that US Vice President JD Vance had reached out to Prime Minister Modi, alerting him about a significant impending attack from Pakistan — to which Modi responded that India would retaliate even more forcefully.

Jaishankar further noted that India had effectively thwarted multiple attacks from Pakistan on May 9 and 10.

He indicated that several nations contacted India on May 10, informing New Delhi that Pakistan was prepared for a ceasefire. The External Affairs Minister clarified that India would only entertain ceasefire discussions with Pakistan if they were communicated through the Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) channel.

As the Opposition began to protest Jaishankar’s assertion that trade was not a component of the discussions between India and the US during Operation Sindoor, Union Home Minister Amit Shah interjected, stating that the Opposition was quick to disregard their own foreign minister, “yet they place their trust in another country.”

“I object to the fact that they (the Opposition) lack faith in an Indian Foreign Minister; I can comprehend the significance of foreign relations in their party. However, this does not imply that all their party’s issues should be imposed here in the House. This is why they are seated there (on the opposition benches) and will continue to be there for the next 20 years,” Amit Shah remarked.