US President Donald Trump on Wednesday reiterated his long-standing claim that he helped broker a truce between India and Pakistan during their May 2025 military escalation and in doing so updated his figures, stating that eight aircraft were shot down in the confrontation. He said he threatened trade deals and tariffs in order to force the nuclear-armed neighbours into peace within 24 hours. His version was rejected by India as “bilateral” and “without third-party involvement”.
Tariffs, jets and the “peace deal” narrative
Speaking at the America Business Forum in Miami, Trump claimed he was in the middle of trade negotiations with both India and Pakistan when he read they were “going to war” and then intervened by threatening to suspend trade unless they halted hostilities. He said: “Seven planes were shot down, and the eighth was really badly wounded … Eight planes were shot down essentially.” He added that he ended “five or six wars… because of tariffs”.
His account assigns a central role to U.S.-led economic leverage: “I’m not making any trade deals with you guys unless you agree to peace,” he said, describing the two countries as “two nuclear nations”.
India rejects the claim, sticks to bilateral channel
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) in New Delhi reiterated that all issues with Pakistan must be resolved bilaterally, and there was no third-party intervention in the ceasefire. According to the MEA, the truce was achieved through existing military communication channels between the Director Generals of Military Operations of both sides.
While Trump offered the revised figure of eight jets, there is no independent verification of the claim. At the same time, the Indian Air Force (IAF) chief publicly stated in August that India had shot down six Pakistani military aircraft during the May clashes. Pakistan continues to deny losing any aircraft, and India dismissed Pakistan’s counter-claims of downing Indian jets.
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Trump’s updated claim comes amid a broader pattern of remarks in which he has attributed multiple global ceasefires or conflict de-escalations to his threat of tariffs. Observers say the shifting figures underlying his India-Pakistan account first five, then seven jets, now eight have drawn scepticism. India in particular has pointed out that the account contradicts the official understanding of the May ceasefire being negotiated directly between New Delhi and Islamabad without U.S. mediation.
For its part, the Pakistani military has neither confirmed Trump’s account nor provided independent evidence of eight aircraft downed. Meanwhile, analysts say the row underscores how military escalation, trade diplomacy and nuclear-tense regional rivalry remain deeply intertwined in South Asia.
