‘6-7 Aircraft Were Downed’: Trump Once Again Claims Credit for India-Pakistan Ceasefire
Trump has once more asserted that he was responsible for mediating a ceasefire between India and Pakistan, even though New Delhi maintains that no foreign nation was involved in the discussions.
On Thursday (local time), US President Donald Trump reiterated in the Oval Office that he played a key role in halting clashes between the two neighbours during Operation Sindoor, adding that “six or seven planes were brought down” — without clarifying which country suffered the losses.
“I’ve resolved six conflicts in just the last six months. I’m very proud of that,” Trump stated. “In the case of Pakistan and India, planes were being shot out of the sky — six or seven in total. They were on the brink of going nuclear, and we stopped it.”
The US leader has repeatedly taken credit for de-escalating tensions after India’s military response to Pakistan’s aggression following Operation Sindoor. In that operation, the Indian Armed Forces launched precision strikes on terror hubs in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) after a deadly attack in Pahalgam.
India, however, has consistently rejected claims of any external mediation. According to New Delhi, its forces neutralised nine terrorist camps in Pakistan and PoK in retaliation for the April 22 Pahalgam attack. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in a recent Lok Sabha address, affirmed that no third party urged India to stop its offensive, and noted that the Pakistani DGMO had requested a ceasefire. Modi added that the operation was halted only after India had fully achieved its objectives.
Relations between Washington and New Delhi have faced strain since Trump imposed a 50% tariff on all Indian imports over purchases of Russian oil. Meanwhile, the US has adopted a more conciliatory tone toward Pakistan, which has publicly credited Trump with ending the conflict and even nominated him for the Nobel Peace Prize.
Trump on Russia-Ukraine
Shifting focus to another conflict, Trump expressed cautious optimism about possible progress toward a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine, ahead of his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday.
“We’ll meet with President Putin tomorrow. I think it will go well, and I believe President Putin is ready to make peace. I think President Zelenskyy also wants peace. We’ll see if they can find common ground,” Trump said.
He added, “We usually know quickly whether a meeting will be productive or not. If it goes badly, it will end fast. If it goes well, we might see peace in the near future.”
