 "US President Donald Trump. Reuters/File Photo")
US President Donald Trump on Sunday once again reiterated his claim of helping broker a ceasefire between India and Pakistan by using trade pressure—this time while drawing a parallel with the ongoing tensions between Thailand and Cambodia.
Speaking about Southeast Asia, Trump said the United States maintains strong trade ties with both Thailand and Cambodia. He claimed he personally called the prime ministers of both countries and warned them that no trade deal would move forward unless they de-escalated their conflict.
“We do a lot of trade with Thailand and Cambodia. Yet I’m reading that they’re killing each other,” Trump said. “I say this should be an easy one for me because I settled India and Pakistan. I called the Prime Ministers of each (Thailand and Cambodia) and I said, ‘We’re not going to make a trade deal unless you settle the war.’ By the time I got off the phone, I think they want to settle now.”
He went on to reference the India-Pakistan standoff, saying “India and Pakistan were really getting ready to go at it. So getting those things settled—and if I can use trade to do that—then it’s my honour.”
Trump’s constant claims of de-escalating the conflict
Trump has made similar claims before, crediting himself for de-escalating the India-Pakistan conflict by instructing his administration to cancel all trade deals with both nations. He believes that pressure forced both sides to back down.
“We did some great work—India and Pakistan. That was close to being nuclear. We handled it. We did a lot,” Trump had told reporters earlier at the White House. “I don’t know if any president has done more.”
Earlier, Trump also cited a similar approach in other global flashpoints. “Serbia and Kosovo were going to go at it. I said, ‘You go at it, there’s no trade with the United States.’ That’s what happened with India and Pakistan. I told (Treasury Secretary) Scott (Bessent) and (Commerce Secretary) Howard (Lutnick), ‘Cancel all deals with India and Pakistan. They’re not trading with us while they’re at war.’”
However, India has consistently rejected Trump’s assertions.
According to Indian officials, the ceasefire agreement reached on May 10—after four days of intense cross-border drone and missile strikes—was the result of direct military-to-military communication between the Directors General of Military Operations (DGMOs) of both nations. Officials also clarified that the dialogue was initiated at Pakistan’s request.
In a recent phone conversation with Trump, Prime Minister Narendra Modi reiterated India’s long-standing position that all matters with Pakistan are strictly bilateral and that New Delhi does not and will never accept third-party mediation.