“Tariffs prevented war,” says Trump, claiming India and Pakistan shot down 8 planes

New Delhi/Washington (The Uttam Hindu): US President Donald Trump has once again claimed that he prevented India and Pakistan from escalating into a full-blown war by using tariffs as a deterrent. Speaking to reporters at the White House, Trump reiterated his claim, this time adding that eight military aircraft were damaged in the clash.

"India and Pakistan, eight planes were shot down. It used to be seven, but now it's eight," Trump said, adding that he "ended five or six of those eight wars because of tariffs."

Trump claimed he forced the two nuclear-armed neighbors to make peace within 24 hours.

In Trump's words, "If you look at India and Pakistan, they were about to fight. Both are nuclear-armed countries. Eight planes were shot down. I told them, 'If you guys are going to fight, I'm going to put tariffs on you.' They were not happy. Within 24 hours, I resolved the war. I couldn't have done it without tariffs."

According to reports, Trump claimed that peace talks took place on May 9th, and the two countries declared a ceasefire the following day. It's worth noting that Trump has previously made similar claims at the APEC summits in Miami and South Korea.

India, on the other hand, has strongly rejected Trump's claims. India has consistently denied that any third party played any role in the ceasefire.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has clarified that the ceasefire between India and Pakistan was achieved through established military communication channels between the Directors General of Military Operations (DGMOs) of both sides. The ministry reiterated its official stance, saying, "India's position remains unchanged: all issues with Pakistan are to be resolved bilaterally, without any third party involvement."