'I think five jets were shot down': Trump claims India-Pak war was defused by US trade deal
Trump characterized the conflict as a new kind of warfare between two nuclear-armed nations. “These are two serious nuclear countries, and they were hitting each other,” he said. “You know, it seems like a new form of warfare.”
- Jul 19, 2025,
- Updated Jul 19, 2025 9:56 AM IST
Donald Trump has repeated his claim that the U.S. stopped India and Pakistan from going to war, this time stating “five jets were shot down” and crediting trade pressure for ending what he described as a dangerous nuclear standoff.
Speaking in Washington, D.C., Trump said, “We stopped a lot of wars. And these were serious — India and Pakistan, that was going on. Planes were being shot out of there. I think five jets were shot down, actually.”
Trump characterized the conflict as a new kind of warfare between two nuclear-armed nations. “These are two serious nuclear countries, and they were hitting each other,” he said. “You know, it seems like a new form of warfare.”
He linked the resolution of the crisis to trade diplomacy, saying, “We said, you guys want to make a trade deal. We're not making a trade deal if you're going to be throwing around weapons, and maybe nuclear weapons, both very powerful nuclear states.”
Trump added that the situation was “getting bigger and bigger” before it was “solved through trade.”
He also referenced U.S. action against Iran, stating, “You saw it recently when you looked at what we did in Iran, where we knocked out their nuclear capability, totally knocked out that…”
This is not the first time Trump has brought up his role in the India-Pakistan conflict. In earlier remarks during and after his presidency, he has described trade leverage as a key tool used to prevent escalation between the two countries.
Donald Trump has repeated his claim that the U.S. stopped India and Pakistan from going to war, this time stating “five jets were shot down” and crediting trade pressure for ending what he described as a dangerous nuclear standoff.
Speaking in Washington, D.C., Trump said, “We stopped a lot of wars. And these were serious — India and Pakistan, that was going on. Planes were being shot out of there. I think five jets were shot down, actually.”
Trump characterized the conflict as a new kind of warfare between two nuclear-armed nations. “These are two serious nuclear countries, and they were hitting each other,” he said. “You know, it seems like a new form of warfare.”
He linked the resolution of the crisis to trade diplomacy, saying, “We said, you guys want to make a trade deal. We're not making a trade deal if you're going to be throwing around weapons, and maybe nuclear weapons, both very powerful nuclear states.”
Trump added that the situation was “getting bigger and bigger” before it was “solved through trade.”
He also referenced U.S. action against Iran, stating, “You saw it recently when you looked at what we did in Iran, where we knocked out their nuclear capability, totally knocked out that…”
This is not the first time Trump has brought up his role in the India-Pakistan conflict. In earlier remarks during and after his presidency, he has described trade leverage as a key tool used to prevent escalation between the two countries.