Washington DC [US], November 7 : United States President Donald Trump has once again claimed that he used trade tariffs to stop a potential large-scale war between India and Pakistan, stating that his intervention "settled" the conflict within 24 hours.
Speaking to reporters at the White House on Thursday, Trump said, "Of the eight wars I ended, five or six were because of tariffs. If you look at India and Pakistan, they were about to fight, two nuclear nations. Eight planes were shot down. And I said, 'If you guys are going to fight, I am going to put tariffs on you.' They were not happy, and within 24 hours, I settled the war. Without tariffs, I wouldn't have been able to do that."
The US President was referring to the border clashes between India and Pakistan that followed India's precision strikes in May this year on Pakistani terror camps under Operation Sindoor, launched in response to the Pahalgam terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir that killed 26 civilians.
In the same briefing after announcing a new policy to cut prices of weight-loss drugs, Trump praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi, calling him "a great man" and "a friend," while hinting that he may visit India next year.
"He (PM Modi) largely stopped buying from Russia. He is a friend of mine, and we speak. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is a great man. He wants me to go there, and I will. We'll figure that out," Trump told reporters.
When asked directly about his travel plans, he said, "It could be."
Earlier this week, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt reaffirmed Trump's commitment to strengthening the India-US relationship, describing it as a partnership the President feels "very strongly" about.
"The President is positive and feels very strongly about the India-US relationship. A few weeks ago, he spoke to Prime Minister Modi directly while celebrating Diwali in the Oval Office with senior Indian-American officials," Leavitt said.
Trump's comments about stopping a potential war between India and Pakistan were similar to those he made at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in South Korea last week, where he claimed he had "threatened India and Pakistan with tariffs" to prevent a potential nuclear war.
However, India has firmly rejected Trump's version of events. The MEA stated that the ceasefire between India and Pakistan was achieved through established military communication channels between the Director Generals of Military Operations (DGMOs) of both sides.
"India's position remains unchanged, all issues with Pakistan are to be resolved bilaterally, without any third-party involvement," the ministry reiterated.
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