President Donald Trump has said that trade threats forced India and Pakistan back from the brink when hostilities between the nuclear-armed neighbors escalated in May.
Trump said his warning that the U.S. “can’t trade with people who are shooting at each other” defused tensions after New Delhi accused Islamabad of supporting militants behind an attack in Indian-administered Kashmir, a charge Pakistan denied.
However, Indian media reported that New Delhi’s position was that the ceasefire was struck with no third-party involvement or trade pressure from the U.S.
Newsweek has contacted the foreign ministries of India and Pakistan for comment.
Why It Matters
India launched Operation Sindoor following an attack on April 22 on Pahalgam in Jammu and Kashmir, that killed 26 civilians, prompting the countries to engage in the most intense fighting between them in decades.
The countries each possess about 170 nuclear weapons, according to the think-tank Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.
Trump was the first to announce that the neighbors had reached an understanding to end the conflict on May 10, with the U.S. president claiming it was Washington which had helped settle tensions.
With his latest comments, Trump is framing the effectiveness of economic measures as a geopolitical weapon as he faces legal challenges to the tariffs he imposed on trading partners.
What To Know
On May 7, India fired missiles into the Pakistani province of Punjab and Pakistan-run Kashmir, killing at least 26 in what Pakistan dubbed an act of war.
India said it was striking infrastructure used by militants linked to the killing of at least 26 tourists in India-administered Kashmir on April 22.
On May 10, Trump posted on Truth Social that the U.S. had brokered an end to the fighting with both sides agreeing to a “full and immediate” ceasefire.
Islamabad praised U.S. involvement, but New Delhi tried to portray the ceasefire as a victory and said that the neighbors had worked together “directly” on the truce.
Trump tried to claim credit again during a White House press conference on Friday, saying that it was the U.S. which mediated and stopped the fighting.
Trump said, “we stopped” the countries fighting in what could have “turned out into a nuclear disaster.” This was due to economic pressure, with the U.S. leader saying his country could not trade with those in conflict who could potentially use nuclear weapons.
Trump reiterated this point following a visit to U.S. Steel’s Mon Valley Works–Irvin plant where he said the U.S. could stop a potential nuclear war “through trade as opposed through bullets…I’m very proud of that.”
However, in reporting Trump’s comments, Indian media outlets emphasized how New Delhi had always said the ceasefire was a bilateral agreement directly between the directors general of military operations of both countries.
India has denied any third-party mediation and said the decision to halt military actions was a result of direct communication between New Delhi and Islamabad and not linked to any trade discussions.
India’s highest ranking general, Anil Chauhan and Pakistan’s chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, General Sahir Shamshad Mirza, have both said there was no danger that nuclear weapons would be used during the conflict, Reuters reported.
What People Are Saying
President Donald Trump: “We stopped India and Pakistan from fighting. I believe that could have turned out into a nuclear disaster.
“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, and that all stopped.”
Indian media outlet News 18 reported: “Government sources told [News18] that there was no reference to trade in talks between top leaders of India and the U.S. during the India-Pakistan military conflict.
What Happens Next
Mirza said Friday that Pakistan and India are pulling back troops built up along their shared border to pre-conflict levels, although he did warn that the recent crisis in the disputed area of Kashmir has upped the risk of future escalation.
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