US President Donald Trump on Tuesday repeated his long-standing claim that he prevented a potential war between India and Pakistan using trade leverage and a series of phone calls. Speaking at the NATO summit in the Netherlands, Trump said he used diplomacy and threats of trade withdrawal to convince both countries to de-escalate tensions.
Trump said the most important conflict he helped stop was between India and Pakistan. “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 claimed.
Trump also praised Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, calling him a “great friend,” “a great gentleman,” and “a great man.” He said the Pakistani General was in his office last week and credited both leaders for showing reason.
“In the last few weeks, we took care of India and Pakistan, Kosovo, and Serbia. The Congo is coming in, and Rwanda is coming in; that was a vicious war that went on. We did two others in addition to that. Nobody's ever done anything like this,” he told reporters.
India has repeatedly dismissed Trump’s version of events. The Ministry of External Affairs has reportedly stated that the ceasefire understanding between India and Pakistan was agreed independently by their respective Directors General of Military Operations. India maintains that no third-party mediation or pressure played a role in the process.