U.S. President Donald Trump has claimed credit for stopping a potential India-Pakistan war, saying his direct intervention through diplomacy and trade pressure helped defuse tensions between the two nuclear-armed nations.
Speaking during a Diwali celebration at the White House on Wednesday, Trump told reporters that he recently spoke with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging him that war with Pakistan “must be avoided.” He said his administration’s focus on “trade and smart diplomacy” had prevented multiple global conflicts, including the one between India and Pakistan earlier this year.
“We talked about trade… He’s very interested in that,” Trump said. “Although we did talk a little while ago about — let’s have no wars with Pakistan.”
According to Trump, his use of economic leverage was a key part of India-Pakistan war prevention, claiming he stopped at least eight global conflicts during his presidency.
“During the Pakistan-India conflict, seven planes were shot down,” he said. “I called both countries and told them if they went to war, the U.S. would stop trading with them. Within 24 hours, they called back and said they didn’t want to fight.” He added proudly, “And we have no war with Pakistan and India. That was a very, very good thing.”
US mediation and the may conflict
Trump’s comments referred to the deadly confrontation that erupted in May between India and Pakistan, following a terrorist attack in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK). The assault killed 26 people, prompting India to accuse Pakistan of backing the attackers — a claim Islamabad strongly denied.
President Trump Participates in a Diwali Celebration https://t.co/lkg9OrCpYX
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) October 21, 2025
In response, India launched unprovoked strikes on Pakistani territory for three days before Pakistan retaliated with Operation Bunyan-um-Marsoos, downing six Indian fighter jets and dozens of drones. The escalation ended on May 10, after U.S.-brokered ceasefire talks brought both sides back from the brink.
Trump has since portrayed the episode as one of his administration’s key diplomatic achievements in India-Pakistan war prevention.
Trump warns Modi over Russian oil
The former president also claimed Modi assured him that India would reduce its purchases of Russian oil, a sticking point between Washington and New Delhi amid the ongoing war in Ukraine. “He’s not going to buy much oil from Russia. He wants to see that war end as much as I do,” Trump said.
Trump warned that if India continued buying discounted Russian crude, it could face “massive tariffs” from the U.S. “If they want to deny that, they’ll just continue to pay massive tariffs,” he added.
However, India’s foreign ministry denied any recent phone call between Trump and Modi, saying it was unaware of such communication. Trade officials described ongoing discussions with the U.S. as “congenial” but declined to confirm Trump’s version of events.
Meanwhile, industry data suggests India’s imports of Russian oil are still on the rise. According to Kpler, shipments are expected to increase by 20% this month to 1.9 million barrels per day, as Russia seeks to boost exports following drone strikes on its refineries.
