Donald Trump Claims Credit for Preventing Near-War Between Nuclear-Armed India and Pakistan
US President Donald Trump claimed during a dinner with Republican lawmakers at the White House that five fighter jets were shot down during the May conflict between India and Pakistan.
However, he did not clarify which country’s jets were downed. “In fact, planes were being shot out of the air. Five, five, four or five, but I think five jets were shot down actually,” Trump said while discussing the skirmish between the two nuclear-armed neighbours.
Ambiguity Around Jet Losses
Trump’s statement did not specify whether the aircraft lost belonged to India, Pakistan, or both. Pakistan has claimed that it shot down five Indian planes in aerial combat, while India has maintained that it downed several Pakistani jets.
However, Islamabad denied losing any aircraft and only acknowledged that its airbases were hit.
India’s Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan acknowledged that fighter jets were downed but emphasized the causes of those losses over their number.
“What is important is that, not the jet being down, but why they were being down… Why they were down, what mistakes were made – that is important. Numbers are not important,” he said.
India Responds with Tactical Shift
According to India’s top general, after initial losses on the first day of the conflict, India swiftly adjusted its tactics and gained an upper hand before a ceasefire was announced three days later.
Air Marshal AK Bharti later stated that India had downed many “high-tech” Pakistani fighter jets, without mentioning any specific figures.
Pakistan dismissed India’s claims and said that only one aircraft of the Pakistani Air Force sustained “minor damage”. The country claimed to have shot down six Indian jets, including Rafales—an assertion denied by General Chauhan.
Trump Repeats Ceasefire Mediation Claim
Trump once again took credit for defusing the escalating tension between India and Pakistan. He stated that his administration helped end the hostilities by using trade leverage.
“That was getting worse and worse, wasn’t it? That was looking like it was going to go, these are two serious nuclear countries, and they were hitting each other,” he said.
“But India and Pakistan were going at it, and they were back and forth, and it was getting bigger and bigger. And we got it solved through trade. 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.
Despite these statements, India has consistently rejected Trump’s claims of mediation.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi personally informed President Trump in a phone call that the ceasefire was reached through direct military talks between India and Pakistan, with no third-party involvement or trade discussion.
India’s Operation Sindoor and Ceasefire
The escalation began after an April terror attack in Indian-administered Kashmir killed 26 people. New Delhi attributed the attack to Pakistan, which denied the allegation and called for a neutral probe.
In retaliation, India launched Operation Sindoor on May 7, targeting what it described as “terrorist infrastructure” in Pakistan-controlled territory.
The Resistance Front (TRF), a group affiliated with Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), claimed responsibility for the attack.
The strikes led to four days of intense hostilities involving fighter jets, drones, artillery, and missile exchanges. A ceasefire was eventually agreed upon on May 10 following direct communication between the two militaries.
US Designates TRF as a Terrorist Organisation
On July 17, the US officially designated The Resistance Front (TRF) as a Foreign Terrorist Organisation (FTO) and a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT).
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the designation, and India welcomed the move.
No Planned Trump Visit to Pakistan
While the Trump administration restored diplomatic favor toward Pakistan, the White House clarified on July 17 that no visit to Pakistan by the US President was scheduled “at this time,” despite widespread reports of a possible trip.
