Former US President Donald Trump has once again stirred controversy by taking credit for helping defuse tensions between India and Pakistan, a claim India strongly disputes. During a dinner with Republican lawmakers at the White House, Trump said that “five jets were shot down” during the recent flare-up between the two nuclear-armed countries. However, he didn’t specify which country lost the aircraft, and there’s been no official confirmation to support his statement.
Trump went on to say that his administration played a key role in averting a major conflict between India and Pakistan. He claimed that the US used trade talks as leverage, telling both sides that there would be no trade deal if they continued to escalate tensions. India, however, has consistently maintained that the ceasefire was the result of a direct conversation between the military leadership of both countries on May 10 and had nothing to do with outside pressure or mediation.
India launched Operation Sindoor on May 7 in response to a terrorist attack in Pahalgam, targeting terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan-controlled areas. The operation led to four days of intense exchanges involving drones and missiles. According to Indian officials, the eventual ceasefire was agreed upon through direct communication between the Directors General of Military Operations (DGMOs) of both countries — not due to any international intervention.
