With characteristic bravado, US President Donald Trump declared yet again that his administration had singlehandedly averted a nuclear catastrophe between India and Pakistan. Speaking alongside Elon Musk in the Oval Office, Trump took full credit for defusing what he described as a dangerously escalating conflict between the two nuclear-armed neighbours.
“We stopped India and Pakistan from fighting. I believe that could have turned out into a nuclear disaster,” Trump asserted before the assembled press corps, doubling down on his claim that it was US intervention that saved South Asia from spiralling into war.
According to Trump, his administration’s efforts, particularly through trade diplomacy, played a decisive role. “Just days ago, my administration successfully brokered a historic ceasefire to stop the escalating violence between India and Pakistan, and I used trade to a large extent to do (that),” he stated. Emphasising the strategy behind the intervention, he said, “I said, fellas, come on, let’s make a deal. Let’s do some trading. Let’s not trade nuclear missiles. Let’s trade the things that you make so beautifully. And they both have very powerful, strong, good and smart leaders.”
Trump also underlined the practical stakes for the United States, noting, “We can’t trade with people who are shooting at each other and potentially using nuclear weapons.” He positioned America’s global military and economic influence as the cornerstone of peace, while thanking the leaders of both India and Pakistan—as well as his own administration—for helping to de-escalate tensions.
Reinforcing this narrative earlier on May 13 during the Saudi Arabia-US Investment Forum 2025, Trump described the ceasefire as “historic,” once again attributing it to his administration’s trade-based diplomacy. “They are actually getting along. Maybe we can even get them together where they go out and have a nice dinner together. Wouldn’t that be nice?” he quipped, before adding with dramatic flair, “We’ve come a long way. Millions of people could have died from that conflict that started off small and was getting bigger and bigger by the day.”
Yet, in stark contrast, India has categorically denied any third-party involvement in the recent ceasefire agreement. According to New Delhi, the ceasefire was a strictly bilateral outcome, achieved through direct talks between the Director Generals of Military Operations (DGMOs) of India and Pakistan.
India has repeatedly maintained that its engagement with Pakistan remains a sovereign and bilateral process, separate from trade discussions or external mediation. Indian officials have stressed there was “no connection to trade negotiations,” pushing back against Trump’s portrayal of events.
While Trump may continue to frame the truce as a triumph of US diplomatic prowess, India’s position is clear: the decision to halt hostilities was made in Islamabad and New Delhi—not in Washington.
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