Trump claims credit for India-Pakistan ceasefire, says trade threats averted nuclear conflict

United States President Donald Trump on Monday claimed his administration averted a potential nuclear conflict between India and Pakistan by brokering a ceasefire agreement, saying he leveraged U.S. trade relationships to pressure both nuclear-armed nations to de-escalate tensions.

"We helped broker a full and immediate ceasefire, I think a permanent one between India and Pakistan, ending a dangerous conflict of two nations with lots of nuclear weapons," Trump said during a White House news conference. "Millions of people could have been killed. So I'm very proud of that."

The president specifically cited trade as his administration's primary leverage, telling reporters: "I said, 'Come on, we're going to do a lot of trade with you guys. Let's stop it. If you stop, we're doing trade. If you don't stop it, we're not going to do any trade.'"

Trump continued, "People have never really used trade the way I used it, that I can tell you. And all of a sudden they said, 'I think we're going to stop.' And they have."

Trump's comments come as both South Asian rivals present competing narratives of the ceasefire agreement reached Saturday following a week of escalating military actions. The conflict erupted after India conducted strikes on what it called "terrorist camps" in Pakistan, two weeks after an attack killed 26 tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir.

Trump said his administration is "negotiating with India right now" and will be "soon negotiating with Pakistan" on trade deals, suggesting economic incentives may be part of a broader strategy to maintain stability in the region.

The White House announcement signals a potential diplomatic win for the Trump administration, which returned to power in January. However, regional experts caution that the fundamental dispute over Kashmir — a Muslim-majority region claimed entirely by both countries since their 1947 independence from Britain — remains unresolved.

Both sides claim victory

Military officials from both countries held briefings late Sunday, each claiming the upper hand in the conflict that threatened to spiral into a larger confrontation.

Pakistan's military spokesman Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry characterized the outcome as a "success on the battleground," while his Indian counterpart, Lieutenant General Rajiv Ghai, maintained that India had "exercised immense restraint" with actions that were "focused, measured and non-escalatory."

Pakistan has claimed to have downed five Indian fighter jets during the conflict, an assertion that New Delhi has neither confirmed nor denied.

Senior military officers from both countries reportedly held talks Monday to reinforce the ceasefire arrangement, according to diplomatic sources familiar with the situation.