Trump has no formal plans of mediating between India and China: White House

US President Donald Trump is aware of the fierce clash between the Indian and Chinese troops in eastern Ladakh, the White House said on Wednesday (June 17), stressing that there were no formal plans on the two countries.

Twenty Indian Army personnel, including a Colonel, were killed in the clash with Chinese troops in the Galwan Valley on Monday (June 15) night, the biggest military confrontation in over four decades that has significantly escalated the already volatile border standoff between the two countries.

“The president is aware of it. Were monitoring the situation between Indian and Chinese forces along the Line of Actual Control in eastern Ladakh,” White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany told reporters when asked about the border clash.

We have seen the Indian Army statement that 20 Indian soldiers died as a result of the confrontation today, and we extend our deepest condolences on that, she said. McEnany stressed that there were no formal plans to mediate between India and China.

Related News: China, India agree to deal with Galwan conflict in a ‘just manner’: Official

“No formal plans on that beyond what I already said in expressing our absolute condolences to the Indian soldiers who had died as a result of todays confrontation. We extend our deepest condolences there,” she said.

“I would note just that during the phone call on June 2 of this year that President Trump had with Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi, they did discuss the situation on the India-China border,” McEnany said.

The Indian Army initially said on Tuesday that an officer and two soldiers were killed. But in a late evening statement, it revised the figure to 20 saying 17 others who “were critically injured in the line of duty and exposed to sub-zero temperatures at the standoff location succumbed to their injuries.”