Former US President Donald Trump has once again asserted that he played a key role in de-escalating tensions between India and Pakistan following the Pahalgam terror attack, claiming that his use of trade as leverage prevented a potential nuclear conflict.
Speaking during a meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, Trump said, “We have been very successful in settling wars, India, Pakistan… Pakistan would have been a nuclear war within another week, the way that was going. It was going very badly.”
He emphasized his approach, stating, “We did that through trade. I said, we are not going to talk to you about trade unless you get this thing settled, and they did.”
Trump had previously made similar claims in June, telling reporters aboard Air Force One, “I did something that people don’t talk about… We solved a big problem, a nuclear problem potentially with India and with Pakistan.”
According to Trump, direct conversations with leaders from both countries helped calm the situation, which had flared after India’s precision strikes on terror infrastructure across the border.
However, India has firmly rejected Trump’s claims, reiterating its consistent position that all issues between India and Pakistan, particularly those involving Jammu and Kashmir, must be addressed bilaterally without third-party intervention.
“Our long-standing national position remains 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,” India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) stated.
The MEA also clarified that discussions between Indian and US leaders during the period of heightened military activity — following the launch of Operation Sindoor on May 7 — did not involve trade negotiations.
“From the time Operation Sindoor commenced till the cessation of hostilities on May 10, there were conversations on the evolving military situation. The issue of trade did not come up in any of these discussions,” the MEA said.
Operation Sindoor was India’s direct military response to the Pahalgam terror attack that claimed the lives of 26 civilians. In its wake, India targeted terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK), while effectively countering Pakistani military aggression.
The ceasefire was eventually reached following a call initiated by Pakistan’s Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) to his Indian counterpart — a point Indian authorities highlight as evidence of bilateral resolution.
Despite Trump’s repeated assertions, India maintains that no foreign mediation took place in bringing an end to the hostilities.
