New York/Washington: US President Donald Trump on Thursday once again claimed that he resolved the conflict between India and Pakistan, warning that the situation could have escalated to a nuclear confrontation.
“If you look at Pakistan and India… planes were being shot down. Six or seven planes came down. They were ready to escalate, maybe even to nuclear conflict. We solved that,” Trump said during remarks in the Oval Office.
His comments come ahead of his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday, where he aims to help end the ongoing war in Ukraine.
Trump expressed that he initially believed the Russia-Ukraine war would be “the easiest one” to resolve, but found it to be “the most difficult.”
“I think President Putin would like to see a deal. If I weren’t president, he would probably take over all of Ukraine. This is a war that should never have happened. But I am president, and he’s not going to challenge me,” Trump said.
Regarding his upcoming meeting with Putin, he added, “I think it’s going to be a good meeting,” noting that a subsequent meeting including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy would be “even more important.” Trump also indicated that some European leaders might join that discussion.
“We’ll see what happens. I think President Putin wants peace. I think President Zelenskyy wants peace. If they can reach an agreement, it will be great,” he said.
Trump also claimed credit for resolving “six wars” over the past six months and said he is “very proud of it.”
Since May 10, when he first announced on social media that India and Pakistan had agreed to a “full and immediate” ceasefire, Trump has repeatedly highlighted his role in ending the conflict. He has asserted that he promised significant US trade incentives if the nuclear-armed neighbors ceased hostilities.
India, however, has maintained that the cessation of hostilities was achieved through direct talks between the Directors General of Military Operations (DGMOs) of the two countries, not as a result of Trump’s intervention.
