U.S. President Donald Trump has once again asserted that he played a pivotal role in brokering the recent ceasefire between India and Pakistan, claiming that trade negotiations helped de-escalate hostilities between the two nuclear-armed neighbors. The comments were made during a meeting with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa at the White House on Wednesday (local time).
“If you take a look at what we just did with Pakistan and India, we settled that whole thing, and I think I settled it through trade,” Trump said. “We’re doing a big deal with India. We’re doing a big deal with Pakistan… We spoke to them and got it settled.”
Trump also praised his relationship with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and referred to Pakistan as having “excellent people and some really good leaders.”
The ceasefire follows heightened tensions after India launched Operation Sindoor in response to the April 22 terrorist attack in Pahalgam that killed 26 civilians. The operation involved targeted strikes on nine terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), prompting a series of retaliatory actions from Pakistan, including attempted drone strikes and shelling along the Line of Control (LoC).
Trump had previously posted on his social media platform Truth Social that the U.S. had mediated a “FULL AND IMMEDIATE CEASEFIRE,” stating, “Congratulations to both countries on using common sense and great intelligence.”
However, India quickly dismissed Trump’s claims, reaffirming its long-standing policy that all issues related to Jammu and Kashmir are to be resolved bilaterally between India and Pakistan—without third-party mediation.
“As you are aware, we have a long-standing national position that any issues pertaining to the Union territory of Jammu and Kashmir have to be addressed by India and Pakistan bilaterally. That stated policy has not changed,” the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a statement.
The MEA further clarified that trade discussions were not part of any conversations between Indian and U.S. leaders during the period of Operation Sindoor or the subsequent ceasefire agreement.
“From the time Operation Sindoor commenced on 7th May till the understanding on cessation of firing and military action on 10th May, there were conversations between Indian and U.S. leaders on the evolving military situation. The issue of trade did not come up in any of these discussions,” the MEA added.
Trump’s comments, while consistent with his previous attempts to position the U.S. as a mediator in South Asian affairs, have once again stirred controversy, particularly in New Delhi, where foreign policy consensus strongly opposes external interference in India-Pakistan matters.
