 "US President Donald Trump | Image- AFP")
For the second time in a week, US President Donald Trump has said that his intervention led India and Pakistan to end hostilities after Operation Sindoor, which was launched by New Delhi in response to the Pahalgam attack.
“We have stopped a lot of wars. And these were serious wars. India and Pakistan were going at it, and they were back and forth, and it was getting bigger and bigger, and we got it solved through trade,” Trump said.
He reiterated his claim that the US got India and Pakistan to a ceasefire through trade by threatening not to make a deal if cross-border firings continue. While New Delhi has repeatedly denied such claims, Islamabad has thanked Trump for his mediation.
Trump also said that he “thinks” that up to five jets were shot down during the India-Pakistan hostilities. “In fact, planes were being shot out of the air. Five, five, four or five, but I think five jets were shot down actually,” he asserted.
What has India said?
Earlier this month, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar denied US role in mediation between the two neighbouring countries.
In an interview with Newsweek, Jaishankar said, “I can tell you that I was in the room when Vice President Vance spoke to Prime Minister Modi on the night of May 9, saying that the Pakistanis would launch a very massive assault on India…We did not accept certain things, and the Prime Minister was impervious to what the Pakistanis were threatening to do.”
“On the contrary, he (PM Modi) indicated that there would be a response from us,” he added.
The next communication with Washington occurred the following morning, when the Foreign Minister spoke with the US Secretary of State. During the conversation, Marco Rubio conveyed that “the Pakistanis were ready to talk,” Jaishankar added.