WASHINGTON, D.C. — President Donald Trump told his cabinet again that he was the only one who could have stopped the armed situation between India and Pakistan from being worse in May. India’s “Operation Sindoor” and days of fighting followed the conflict, which was sparked by a terrorist attack in Pahalgam.
Trump stated, “I’m talking to a very great man, Modi of India,” telling his side of the story. I asked, “What’s going on between you and Pakistan?” After that, I talked to Pakistan regarding commerce. I asked, “What’s up with you and India?”
Trump said he told both countries that he would “put tariffs on you that are so high… Your head’s going to spin” if they didn’t stop fighting. He said that his threat to stop trade and charge high tariffs on both countries made things get better quickly. “He said it was done in about five hours.”
Trump has said this before. He has said several times that he stopped a “nuclear war” between the two countries. On Tuesday, he again repeated his claim that “seven jets were shot down,” a number that he has revised before. Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh, the head of the Indian Air Force, has stated that India destroyed at least five Pakistani fighter jets and a big observation plane during Operation Sindoor. However, India says it did not lose any fighter jets.
India has always said that no one else has gotten involved. The Ministry of External Affairs says that a truce was achieved on May 10 when Pakistan’s Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) called his Indian counterpart on a hotline. The agreement was made between the two countries.
There are more trade problems between the U.S. and India right now, which is when Trump made his comments. The U.S. is adding a 25% duty on Indian goods, bringing the total to a staggering 50%. The penalties are a direct result of India’s continued purchase of Russian oil, which the Trump administration argues is helping Russia’s war effort in Ukraine.