US President Donald Trump has claimed that 10 aircraft were shot down during the May 2025 conflict between Pakistan and India. Speaking in a Fox Business interview aired Wednesday, Trump asserted that the escalation “would’ve been a nuclear war” if not for his intervention and said he used trade tariffs as leverage to help bring about a ceasefire.
Trump recalled his Oval Office meeting with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in September 2025, during which Sharif reportedly thanked him for helping mediate the conflict, which lasted four days in May. Trump emphasized that his “reciprocity policy” and tariff threats encouraged the two countries to stop fighting, and cited similar interventions in Armenia and Azerbaijan’s decades-long dispute.
He also praised Pakistan’s military leadership, calling Chief of the Defence Forces and Chief of Army Staff Asim Munir a “highly respected general” and “my favourite,” while claiming that previous US presidents had been “bad on trade” compared to his own policies.
India, however, has rejected Trump’s claims that the ceasefire resulted from his involvement and his threat to halt trade talks. Relations between the US and India saw tensions after stalled negotiations, though Trump later announced a trade deal with New Delhi. Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar subsequently visited the US for official talks with Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
