TOKYO/SEOUL: (Oct 29) US President Donald Trump on Wednesday once again took credit for ending the recent conflict between India and Pakistan, claiming that his intervention brought an end to the four-day military standoff earlier this year.
Speaking at the APEC CEO Summit in Gyeongju, South Korea, Trump praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi as “the nicest looking guy,” a “killer,” and “tough as hell,” while also calling Pakistan’s Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir “a great fighter and a great guy.”
Trump recounted that he used trade negotiations as leverage to convince both nuclear-armed neighbours to stop fighting. “I called Prime Minister Modi. I said, we can’t make a trade deal with you… you’re starting a war with Pakistan. Then I called Pakistan and said, we’re not doing trade with you either,” Trump told business leaders. “After literally two days, they called up, they said we understand, and they stopped fighting.”
Earlier in Tokyo, Trump had made similar remarks, saying he ended the conflict “within 24 hours” after “seven brand new planes were shot down” during Operation Sindoor — India’s military campaign launched on May 7 targeting terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir following the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 civilians.
Trump said his intervention prevented further escalation between “two big nuclear powers,” claiming he warned both sides that “we won’t do any trade if you’re fighting.”
The US president’s comments come as part of his three-nation Asia tour, with stops in Japan, South Korea, and the Philippines. He has repeatedly cited the episode as proof of his ability to “end wars quickly,” though India has consistently denied any foreign mediation, saying the ceasefire understanding on May 10 was reached directly between the Directors General of Military Operations (DGMOs) of the two countries.
While Trump’s remarks drew laughter from the APEC audience, they again underscored his tendency to make inconsistent statements — hours apart, he gave two different timelines for how quickly he “stopped the war.”
Since May, Trump has referenced the “Sindoor ceasefire” dozens of times on the campaign trail, presenting it as evidence of his global leadership credentials.