No recent contact between PM Modi and President Trump over Ladakh row: Govt sources

India on Friday rejected US President Donald Trump's startling claim that he spoke to Prime Minister Narenda Modi on the military standoff between Indian and Chinese troops in eastern Ladakh with top government sources asserting that there was no such communication between the two leaders on the row. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh also sent a clear message to Washington that there was no scope for any third party mediation on its border dispute with China as he told US Defence Secretary Mark T Esper during a telephonic conversation that existing bilateral mechanisms are being used to end the face-off.

The sources said there has been no recent contact between Prime Minister Modi and President Trump and that the last conversation they had was on April 4 on the subject of hydroxychloroquine. "Yesterday, the external affairs ministry had made it clear that we are directly in touch with the Chinese through established mechanisms and diplomatic contacts," a high-level source said. The clarification came hours after Trump said in Washington that he had spoken to Modi and that the Indian Prime Minister is not in a "good mood" over the "big conflict" between India and China. Trump also reiterated his offer to mediate between India and China on the border standoff.

In July 2019, India had rejected Trump's claim at a media briefing with Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan that Modi had sought his help to resolve the Kashmir issue. "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," the US president said.

On Thursday the external affairs ministry virtually rejected Trump's offer, saying both the countries are engaged at military and diplomatic levels to resolve the issue peacefully. Initially, Trump made the offer on Wednesday. Separately, Defence Minister Singh conveyed to Esper that that existing bilateral mechanisms with China are being used to resolve the face-off, military sources said. It was second message in as many days that Trump's offer was not acceptable to India In Beijing, the Chinese Foreign Ministry too rejected Trump's offer saying China and India are capable of properly resolving the issues through dialogue and consultation.

MEA Spokesperson Anurag Srivastava on Thursday said India was engaged with China at military and diplomatic levels to resolve the ongoing standoff with China, but at the same time asserted that the country is "firm" in its resolve to protect its sovereignty and national security. Troops of India and China were engaged in a major standoff for over three weeks in Pangong Tso, Galwan Valley, Demchok and Daulat Beg Oldie in eastern Ladakh, in what is turning out to be the biggest confrontation between the two countries after the Doklam episode in 2017. The trigger for the face-off was China's stiff opposition to India laying a key road in the Finger area around the Pangong Tso Lake besides construction of another road connecting the Darbuk-Shayok-Daulat Beg Oldie road in Galwan Valley.

The situation in eastern Ladakh deteriorated after around 250 Chinese and Indian soldiers were engaged in a violent face-off on the evening of May 5 which spilled over to the next day before the two sides agreed to "disengage". However, the standoff continued.

The incident in Pangong Tso was followed by a similar incident in north Sikkim on May 9. The troops of India and China were engaged in a 73-day stand-off in Doklam tri-junction in 2017 which even triggered fears of a war between the two nuclear-armed neighbours.

The India-China border dispute covers the 3,488-km-long LAC. China claims Arunachal Pradesh as part of southern Tibet while India contests it. Both sides have been asserting that pending the final resolution of the boundary issue, it is necessary to maintain peace and tranquillity in the border areas.