In a shift of tone, US President Donald Trump stated that the two “very smart” leaders of India and Pakistan had “decided” against continuing a conflict that could have escalated into a nuclear war, marking the first time in weeks he refrained from crediting himself for defusing tensions between the two nations.

Trump made these comments during a media interaction in the Oval Office, following a lunch meeting with Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff, General Asim Munir, at the White House on Wednesday, PTI reported.

Trump said he was “honoured” to meet Munir.

When asked if Iran was discussed in his meeting with Munir, Trump said: “Well, they know Iran very well, better than most, and they’re not happy about anything. It’s not that they’re bad with Israel. They know them both, actually, but they probably, maybe they know Iran better, but they see what’s going on, and he agreed with me.”

“The reason I had him here, I want to thank him for not going into the war, ending the war. And I want to thank, as you know, Prime Minister Modi just left a little while ago, and we’re working on a trade deal with India. We’re working on a trade deal with Pakistan,” the president said.

“They were both here, but I was with Modi a few weeks ago. He was here actually, but now we speak to him. And I’m so happy that two smart people, plus you know, people on their staff too, but two smart people, two very smart people decided not to keep going with that war. That could have been a nuclear war. Those are two nuclear powers, big ones, big, big nuclear powers, and they decided that.”

This is the first time in weeks when Trump did not take credit for stopping the military conflict between India and Pakistan.

Since May 10, when India and Pakistan decided to stop the military conflict, Trump has repeatedly claimed on multiple occasions that he “helped settle” tensions between the two countries and that he told the nuclear-armed South Asian neighbours that America would do a “lot of trade” with them if they stopped the conflict.

Modi and Trump were set to hold talks on the sidelines of the G7 Leaders’ Summit in Kananaskis, Canada, but the meeting was called off after the U.S. President returned to Washington ahead of schedule.

Before concluding his first visit to Canada in ten years, Prime Minister Modi had a 35-minute phone call with Trump before departing Kananaskis.

Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, in a video message from Kananaskis, said Modi conveyed to Trump that at “no point” during Operation Sindoor was there any discussion, at any level, on an India-US trade deal or any proposal for mediation by the US between India and Pakistan.

The discussion to cease military action took place directly between India and Pakistan through the existing channels of communication between the two armed forces, and it was initiated at Islamabad’s request.

Modi firmly said India will never accept the mediation of a third party, and there is complete political consensus in India on this matter, Misri said.

Misri also noted that following the April 22 Pahalgam attack, Trump expressed his condolences to Modi over a phone call and expressed his support against terrorism.

The phone call on Tuesday in Kananaskis was the “first conversation” between the two leaders since April.

Misri said Trump listened carefully to the points conveyed by the prime minister and expressed his support towards India’s fight against terrorism. Modi conveyed that India no longer views terrorism as a proxy war, but as a war itself, and that Operation Sindoor is still ongoing.

Trump enquired if Modi could stop over in the US on his way back from Canada, but the prime minister was scheduled to depart for Croatia, the last leg of his three-nation tour that began in Cyprus.