U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday reiterated his claim that he played a role in easing tensions between India and Pakistan during their military standoff in May 2025, a position New Delhi has repeatedly rejected, maintaining there was no third-party mediation.
Speaking at a Board of Peace event, Trump again referred to aircraft losses, asserting that “11 jets were shot down,” a claim India has firmly denied.
“When it came to losing a lot of money, they said, I guess we don’t want to fight… 11 jets were shot down. Very expensive jets,” Trump said.
In recent months, Trump has frequently stated that he helped halt the India-Pakistan confrontation, offering varying figures for the number of jets allegedly downed. Earlier this month, he cited 10 aircraft, while previous remarks over the past year mentioned five, seven, and eight jets.
Trump also repeated his assertion that trade measures were used as leverage to discourage further escalation. “I called them and said, listen, I’m not doing trade deals with you two guys if you don’t settle this… If you fight, I’m going to put 200 per cent tariffs on each of your countries,” he said. Indian officials have not endorsed this characterization.
During his remarks, Trump referenced Prime Minister Narendra Modi, claiming the Indian leader was following the event. “I spoke to Prime Minister Modi. He’s excited. He’s watching us right now,” Trump said.
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