At the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in South Korea on October 29, US President Donald Trump reignited controversy by claiming once again that he personally brokered peace between India and Pakistan earlier this year-while referring to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi as “a killer” and theatrically imitating him before world leaders.

The remarks, which quickly reverberated across diplomatic and media circles, have been met with sharp denials from New Delhi, adding new strain to an already tense phase in India-US relations dominated by disputes over trade, sanctions, and foreign policy alignment.

Speaking before a gathering of Asia-Pacific business and political leaders, Trump recounted what he described as a moment of personal intervention during what he claimed was an imminent military confrontation between the two nuclear-armed South Asian neighbors in May.

“These are two nuclear nations. And they’re really going at it,” Trump said, recounting how he purportedly used economic pressure to calm tensions. “I called Prime Minister Modi and said, ‘We can’t make a trade deal with you.’ He said, ‘No, no, we must make a trade deal.’ I said, ‘No, we can’t. You’re starting a war with Pakistan. We’re not going to do it.’ And then I called Pakistan and said, ‘We’re not going to do trade with you because you’re fighting with India.’”

According to Trump, the calls-combined with his warnings-eventually led both sides to back down. He described a “long night of talks” that culminated in what he called a ceasefire agreement, adding that his administration offered both New Delhi and Islamabad expanded access to the US market in exchange for peace.

To underline his anecdote, Trump imitated Modi’s mannerisms, calling him “the nicest-looking guy” but “tough as hell,” before performing a mock dialogue in a deepened voice: “No, we will fight.” The impersonation drew laughter from parts of the audience but also prompted visible........

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