WASHINGTON, Monday, May 12, 2025 : U.S. President Donald J. Trump on Monday claimed his administration played a pivotal role in preventing a potential nuclear conflict between India and Pakistan, attributing the de-escalation to aggressive trade diplomacy.
Speaking to reporters at the White House before departing on a Middle East tour, President Trump said that tensions between the two South Asian nuclear powers had reached a critical point, particularly following India’s launch of military operation “Sindoor” and Pakistan’s forceful retaliation.
“They were going at it hot and heavy, and it was seemingly not going to stop,” Trump said, referring to the days leading up to the ceasefire announced on Saturday, which followed the deadly April 22 attack in Indian-occupied Pahalgam that killed 26 tourists.
Trump recounted how he used the prospect of expanded trade as leverage to pressure both countries into backing down. “I said, come on, we’re going to do a lot of trade with you guys. Let’s stop it. If you stop, we’ll do trade. If you don’t, we won’t.”
“People have never really used trade the way I used it — that I can tell you,” he added. “And all of a sudden, they said, I think we’re going to stop. And they have.”
President Trump emphasized that while several factors contributed to the ceasefire, trade was a key motivator. “We’re going to do a lot of trade with Pakistan. We’re going to do a lot of trade with India.”
Reflecting on the broader implications of the crisis, Trump asserted, “We stopped a nuclear conflict. I think it could have been a bad nuclear war. Millions of people could have been killed. So I’m very proud of that.”
In a separate statement on Saturday night, Trump also offered to mediate the decades-old Kashmir dispute, reiterating his interest in helping both nations find a long-term peaceful solution.
