July 16, 2025
NEW DELHI – US President Donald Trump has once again claimed credit for brokering a ceasefire between India and Pakistan, stating that the two nations were on the brink of nuclear war before his intervention.
Trump reiterated his claim of brokering the ceasefire during a meeting with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte on Monday. Trump stated that the two nations were on the brink of nuclear war before his intervention and claimed he used trade as leverage to settle the conflict.
“We have been very successful in settling wars. India, Pakistan… India and Pakistan would have been (in) a nuclear war within another week, the way that was going (on). That was going (on) very badly. We did that through trade. I said, we’re not going to talk to you about trade unless you get this thing settled. And they did,” Trump said.
This isn’t the first time Trump has made such claims. He initially announced the ceasefire on May 10, 2025, and has since repeated his assertion multiple times. However, India has refuted Trump’s claims, stating that the ceasefire was a result of direct communication between the Directors-General of Military Operations of both countries, with no discussion of trade.
Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh was quick to criticise Prime Minister Narendra Modi for not openly refuting Trump’s repeated claims. “65 days. 22 times. The same claim. It keeps getting repeated,” Ramesh said in a post on handle X on Tuesday, questioning why PM Modi remains silent despite Trump’s assertions of using trade to avert a nuclear escalation.
The India-Pakistan conflict had escalated in May following a terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, which killed 26 civilians. In a retaliatory action, India launched Operation Sindoor, striking terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. The operation led to a significant blow to terrorist groups, with over 100 terrorists reportedly eliminated. Following the operation, Pakistan approached India for a ceasefire, which was agreed upon after a call between the Directors-General of Military Operations of both countries.
The Ministry of External Affairs has refuted Trump’s claims, reiterating India’s policy of bilaterally addressing issues with Pakistan, including those related to the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir. “As you are aware, we have a long-standing national position that any issues pertaining to the Union territory of Jammu and Kashmir have to be addressed by India and Pakistan bilaterally. That stated policy has not changed,” the MEA had stated.