Key points
- Trump claims responsibility for India-Pakistan ceasefire
- Use of tariffs was decisive in brokering truce: Trump
- Says the war was going to be a nuclear
ISLAMABAD: US President Donald Trump has claimed that seven jets were shot down during the latest Pakistan-India conflict in May.
The Republican president took credit for preventing what he described as a “potential nuclear conflict”.
Speaking at a White House press briefing, Trump said the situation in South Asia was “raging” when fighter jets were shot down during the brief war in May.
“The war with India and Pakistan was the next level that was going to be a nuclear war… They already shot down seven jets,” he told reporters. “I said, ‘You want to trade? We are not engaging in any trade or other activity with you. If you continue to fight, you have 24 hours to settle the matter. They said, ‘Well, there’s no more war going on.'”
President Trump says Pakistan shot down seven Indian fighter jets!pic.twitter.com/lygqDEdlke
— Fidato (@tequieremos) August 25, 2025
In June, the Indian defence chief admitted that the country’s air force “lost some aircraft” on the night of May 7, after launching strikes on civilian sites in Pakistan during the four-day conflict.
India’s military confirmed for the first time that it lost an unspecified number of fighter jets in clashes with Pakistan in May.
Anil Chauhan, chief of defense staff of the Indian Armed Forces, spoke to Bloomberg TV on Saturday, while attending the Shangri-La Dialogue in… pic.twitter.com/9y3GW6WJfn
— Bloomberg TV (@BloombergTV) May 31, 2025
An Indian defence attaché also made the acknowledgement at a seminar in Indonesia.
“Indian Air Force lost fighter jets to Pakistan because of political leadership’s constraints.” – Captain Shiv Kumar, Indian Defense Attache in Indonesia pic.twitter.com/68ST4fr1vs
— Pakistan Strategic Forum (@ForumStrategic) June 29, 2025
At the White House, Trump claimed that his use of tariffs and trade pressure was decisive.
“I had tariffs and trade, and I was able to say, ‘If you go fight and want to kill everybody, that is okay, but I am going to charge you each a 100 per cent tariff when you trade with us’. They all gave up,” he said.
