U.S. President Donald Trump has once again claimed credit for ending the conflict between India and Pakistan, saying a threat of heavy tariffs forced both nuclear-armed neighbors to stop fighting. India has repeatedly rejected his version of events.
Trump’s account
Trump said he told both countries that continued fighting would cost them access to American trade. “If you two keep fighting, you cannot do business with America,” he said he warned them, adding that he would impose 250 percent tariffs on each. He said both governments initially reacted with anger but stopped firing soon afterward, ending the war.
Trump stressed that both countries possess nuclear weapons and said he urged them to stop so the situation would not become more dangerous.
He also said 11 aircraft were shot down in the fighting. He did not say whose aircraft they were or how they were lost.
“I have stopped many such wars, and it is an honor to have done so,” Trump said. He repeated that he has played a key role in ending conflicts between several countries, and again expressed dissatisfaction that his efforts have not received international recognition.
Figures have shifted
Trump’s retellings have varied over time. At a Board of Peace event in Washington in February, he cited a 200 percent tariff. On other occasions he has put the number of downed aircraft at 10, and the number of lives saved at between 10 million and 50 million, attributing the figure to Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. By one count, he has claimed credit for ending the conflict more than 80 times since May 10, 2025.
India’s position
New Delhi has consistently denied the claims. India’s Ministry of External Affairs says there was no third-party intervention, and that the ceasefire followed contact between the Directors General of Military Operations (DGMOs) of the two countries, initiated by Pakistan’s DGMO.
India has rejected the figure of 11 downed aircraft. The Indian Air Force has not given a number for its losses, but has said no pilot involved in the operation was killed in action. India also maintains that its issues with Pakistan are strictly bilateral and does not accept the involvement of any third country. It has stated its account of how the ceasefire during Operation Sindoor was reached.
The fighting followed the April 22, 2025 terror attack in Pahalgam that killed 26 civilians. India launched Operation Sindoor on May 7, striking what it described as terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. The operation was paused on May 10.