President Donald Trump spun a tale in front of reporters Monday that he was personally asked by India’s prime minister, Narendra Modi, to mediate the Kashmir conflict with Pakistan. But a spokesman for Modi quickly issued a statement that “no such request has been made.”

Trump raised the issue during a meeting with Pakistan’s prime minister, Imran Khan, in the White House while reporters listened.

“I was with Prime Minister Modi two weeks ago,” Trump recalled. “He actually said, ‘Would you like to be a mediator or arbitrator?’ I said, “Where?′ He said, ‘Kashmir.’ Because this has been going on for many, many years. I was surprised at how long it’s been going on,” Trump added, revealing his lack of knowledge about the history of the conflict.

Trump added: “I’d love to be a mediator.”

Even before India denied Trump’s claim, the White House refused to confirm that the Kashmir conversation between Modi and Trump had occurred, The Wall Street Journal reported.

The nonpartisan think tank The Council on Foreign Relations noted in a Monday blog post, headlined “The Trouble With Facts,” that India has always believed the conflict over the disputed region of Kashmir must be decided by India and Pakistan alone. So it “struck experts on South Asia as strange” that Modi had “personally requested U.S. mediation,” the statement added.

Indian government spokesman Raveesh Kumar flatly repudiated Trump’s claim less than an hour after the White House meeting.