In a rare shift from previous claims, United States President Donald Trump has for the first time refrained from taking credit for the recent cessation of hostilities between India and Pakistan, instead acknowledging the role of the two South Asian leaders in choosing restraint over escalation.
Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office on Wednesday following a luncheon with Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff, General Asim Munir, Trump said, “Two very smart people decided not to keep going with that war. That could have been a nuclear war. Those are two nuclear powers, big ones, big, big nuclear powers, and they decided that.”
Trump added, “The reason I had him here, I want to thank him for not going into the war, ending the war. And I want to thank, as you know, Prime Minister Modi just left a little while ago, and we're working on a trade deal with India. We're working on a trade deal with Pakistan.”
The remarks come after weeks of assertions by Trump that he played a direct role in de-escalating tensions. Since 10 May, when India and Pakistan mutually agreed to halt Operation Sindoor—an Indian military campaign in response to the 22 April Pahalgam terror attack— Trump had maintained he “stopped the war” and that the United States would extend trade benefits if both nations chose peace.
Earlier in the day, Trump reiterated: “Well, I stopped the war. I love Pakistan. I think Modi is a fantastic man. I spoke to him last night. We're going to make a trade deal with Modi of India. But I stopped the war between Pakistan and India.”
Also read: As Trump dines with Pak army chief, here’s what White House said
Referring to General Munir, Trump said, “This man was extremely influential in stopping it from the Pakistan side. Modi, from the Indian side, and others. They were going at it, and they're both nuclear countries. I got it stopped.”
Despite these repeated statements, Indian officials have refuted the claim of third-party intervention. Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, speaking from Kananaskis, Canada—where Modi had participated in the G7 Leaders’ Summit—stated that no proposal for mediation was ever discussed between New Delhi and Washington.
“At no point during Operation Sindoor was there any discussion, at any level, on an India-US trade deal or any proposal for mediation by the US between India and Pakistan,” said Misri.
He further asserted that the ceasefire was achieved through existing military communication channels between the two countries and had been initiated by Islamabad. “India will never accept the mediation of a third party, and there is complete political consensus in India on this matter,” Misri added.
During their 35-minute phone conversation from Kananaskis—their first since April— Modi is said to have reiterated India’s unwavering stance against terrorism. “India no longer views terrorism as a proxy war, but as a war itself,” said Misri.
Following the April 22 terror attack, which claimed 26 lives, India launched retaliatory strikes on terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. Operation Sindoor ended after four days of intense drone and missile strikes, culminating in a mutual understanding between the Director Generals of Military Operations (DGMOs) of both nations.
Follow us
