Washington: Former US President Donald Trump has once again stirred diplomatic circles by asserting that he was instrumental in halting military hostilities between India and Pakistan, crediting his use of trade negotiations as leverage. The remarks were made during an event at the Oval Office marking Elon Musk’s departure from his advisory role at the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
Speaking to attendees, Trump said: “We stopped India and Pakistan from fighting. I believe that could have turned out into a nuclear disaster, and I want to thank the leaders of India and Pakistan, and I want to thank my people. Also, we talk trade, and we say we can’t trade with people who are shooting at each other and potentially using nuclear weapons. They’re great leaders in those countries, and they understood and they agreed.”
Trump’s comments come amid ongoing global debate regarding the influence of international powers in the recent de-escalation between the two nuclear-armed neighbors. However, India has promptly dismissed any suggestion that trade discussions factored into the decision to halt military action.
Clarifying India’s position, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal stated: “Our position on this particular issue that you mentioned has been well articulated. I would refer you to our position that was made clear on May 13. From the time Operation Sindoor commenced on 7th May till the understanding on cessation of firing and military action on May 10, there were conversations between Indian and US leaders on the evolving military situation. The issue of trade or tariff did not come up in any of those discussions.”
He further emphasized that the ceasefire resulted from direct military-level engagement between the two countries: “The External Affairs Minister has also made it clear that the cessation of firing was decided upon through direct contact with the DGMOs of India and Pakistan.”
The ceasefire agreement was reached on May 10 after Pakistan’s Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) contacted his Indian counterpart, leading to a halt in military action.
India had launched Operation Sindoor following the deadly Pahalgam terror attack, targeting terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK) through precision strikes. The Indian military also retaliated to subsequent Pakistani provocations, neutralizing key airbases before agreeing to a ceasefire based on security assessments and direct military dialogue.
