US President Donald Trump claimed that “seven brand new” aircraft were shot down during the recent India-Pakistan clash; however, he did not specify which side they belonged to.
Speaking at a dinner with business leaders in Tokyo on Tuesday, Trump once again asserted that he played a key role in ending the war between the “two big nuclear powers.”
Trump said he used trade pressure to help resolve the conflict. “I told Prime Minister Modi, and the prime minister — a very nice man — and the Field Marshal in Pakistan, that we wouldn’t be doing any trade if they kept fighting,” he said. According to Trump, both India and Pakistan argued that the conflict had nothing to do with trade, but he insisted otherwise, warning that “nuclear dust” from such a war could affect everyone. “Within about 24 hours, that was the end of it. It was amazing,” he added.
Since May 10 — when Trump posted on social media that India and Pakistan had agreed to a “full and immediate” ceasefire after overnight talks mediated by Washington — he has repeatedly taken credit for helping settle the conflict.
However, India has maintained that the ceasefire understanding was reached directly between the Directors General of Military Operations (DGMOs) of the two countries.
