3 min readNew DelhiJun 26, 2025 05:37 AM IST
First published on: Jun 25, 2025 at 11:16 PM IST
US President Donald Trump on Wednesday reiterated his claim of America’s role in South Asia, calling his intervention in the India-Pakistan conflict one of his “proudest” diplomatic achievements, a claim India has swiftly rejected.
“The most important of all, India and Pakistan… I ended that with a series of phone calls on trade. I said if you’re going to go fighting each other, we’re not doing any trade deal,” Trump said during a press briefing after the NATO summit in The Hague, Netherlands.
“I said, ‘Look, if you’re going to go fighting each other… it was getting very bad, you know how bad that last attack was. It was really bad,” Trump said. “If you’re going to go fighting each other, we’re not doing any trade deal,” Trump said.
“I got them to reason, and I said, we’re not doing a trade deal if you’re going to fight. They said, no, I want to do the trade deal. We stopped the nuclear war…”
Trump also mentioned that Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff, General Asim Munir, had visited the White House recently. “And in fact, I had the general, who was very impressive. The general from Pakistan was in my office last week,” he said.
Speaking about India, Trump added, “Prime Minister Modi is a great friend of mine. He’s a great gentleman. He’s a great man. And I got them to reason. I said, we’re not doing a trade deal if you’re going to fight and if you’re going to fight each other, we’re not doing a trade deal. And you know what they said. No, I want to do the trade deal. We stopped the nuclear war,” Trump claimed.
In recent weeks, Trump has repeatedly asserted that he warned New Delhi and Islamabad the US would halt trade if tensions escalated further. “I wouldn’t have any interest in making a deal with either if they were going to be at war with each other. I would not and I’ll let them know.”
India rejects claim
Indian officials have categorically and repeatedly denied that trade was a factor in the de-escalation, stating the conflict resolution came via direct military-to-military contact between the Directors General of Military Operations (DGMOs) of the two countries.
In a nearly 35-minute phone call with US President last week, PM Modi is said to have firmly rejected any suggestion of external mediation and stated that India does not and will “never accept” mediation.
The standoff followed a deadly terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, on April 22, in which 26 civilians were killed. In response, India launched Operation Sindoor targeting terror infrastructure in Pakistan and PoK. The ceasefire took effect on 10 May after four days of intense cross-border strikes.
President Donald Trump gestures during a press conference after the plenary session at the NATO summit in The Hague, Netherlands, Wednesday, June 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)
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