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India declines Board of Peace membership invite, attends as Observer
Speaking at the Board of Peace meeting, Trump reiterated claims that he had threatened to impose a 200 percent tariff which forced the two countries to back-out from the conflict.
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Jeffin T. Kaleekal - Fri, 20, Feb 2026
- 03:12 EST
- 15
U.S. President Trump and Indian PM Modi / X/@WhiteHouse
India took a cautious approach to President Donald Trump's Board of Peace and declined the invitation to join the U.S. led group as a member, instead, choosing to take part in the proceedings as an Observer Country.
India was represented by its Charge d'Affaires at the Indian Embassy in Washington DC, Namgya C Khampa at the at the inaugural Board of Peace meeting on Feb. 18.
India had been keeping the final decision about its membership in abeyance since Trump announced his plans and sent out invitations earlier this year.
ALSO READ: At Board of Peace debut, Trump announces global commitments for Gaza reconstruction
On Feb. 12, a week before the inaugural Board of Peace meeting at the US Institute of Peace in Washington, India maintained that the invitation was still under consideration.
"As far as the Board of Peace is concerned, we have received an invitation from the US government to join. We are currently considering this proposal and reviewing it," said Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal.
Representatives from nearly 50 countries attended the meeting. 27 countries, including Egypt, Israel, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the U.A.E, attended as members and many other including India and the European Union, participated as observers.
In a moment that could potentially further the rupture between Indo-U.S. ties and hurt the progress made by the new trade deal, U.S. President Donald Trump doubled down on his claim that he mediated a ceasefire between India and Pakistan during the 2025 military standoff.
Speaking at the Board of Peace meeting, Trump claimed that he had threatened to impose a 200 percent tariff which forced the two countries to back-out from the conflict, against their own wishes.
In his most recent claims, Trump added that the two countries had shot down 11 jets during the skirmish.
Both these claims have been categorically and repeatedly denied by India, which maintains that no third-party intervention or loss of aircrafts occurred.
During his address, Trump said, "If you fight, I'm going to put 200 percent tariffs on each of your countries, which essentially makes you not allowed — you know, you can't do any business. One of them — I won't say which one — said, 'No, you can't do that.'
He continued, "They both wanted to fight. But when it came to money — it's nothing like money. When it came to losing a lot of money, they said, "I guess we don't want to fight."
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