Donald Trump has once again asserted that he was responsible for stopping a potential war between India and Pakistan. This claim, which he has made repeatedly since May of this year, resurfaced recently during a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and in an interview with Fox News. Trump stated that he has "ended six wars," including the one between India and Pakistan, suggesting that the situation was dire, with planes being shot down and the possibility of nuclear escalation.
Trump's version of events contradicts statements from New Delhi, which maintains that the cessation of military actions resulted from direct talks between the two countries' militaries, without any mediation from the United States. Despite this, Pakistan has acknowledged Trump's role and even supported his nomination for a Nobel Peace Prize.
According to Trump, he leverages trade deals to influence countries involved in conflict. He has stated that he uses the "power of the United States" and tells warring parties that trade deals will be contingent on them making peace. In the specific case of India and Pakistan, he claimed he told them America would do "a lot of trade" with them if they stopped the conflict. He also mentioned potential tariffs on India, including on its purchases of Russian oil, and threatened further secondary sanctions.
In May, Trump announced on social media that India and Pakistan had agreed to a "full and immediate" ceasefire. He has consistently reiterated this claim since then. He has also stated that the conflict between the two countries could have turned nuclear. During remarks in the Oval Office on August 14, Trump said, "If you look at Pakistan and India… planes were being knocked out of the air. Six or seven planes came down. They were ready to go, maybe nuclear. We solved that".
However, this claim has faced scrutiny and skepticism, particularly from India. On May 7, before Trump's ceasefire announcement, India launched precision strikes on nine terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) to avenge the April 22 Pahalgam terrorist attack. Pakistan responded with drone and missile attacks on Indian cities, which Indian air defenses largely neutralized. India then retaliated by destroying Pakistani airfields and radar systems. Trump's ceasefire announcement on May 10 followed these events.
Trump has also broadened his claims, stating that he has settled six wars in six months, including a possible nuclear disaster. He has cited conflicts such as the one between Congo and Rwanda, Thailand and Cambodia, and Armenia and Azerbaijan as examples. He has also taken credit for brokering a peace deal between Armenia and Azerbaijan, ending the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, and for pressuring Thailand and Cambodia to reach a ceasefire agreement. The White House has also claimed that Trump has ended conflicts between Serbia and Kosovo, and Egypt and Ethiopia.
