US President Donald Trump on Thursday (local time) reiterated his claim that he used tariffs to help resolve tensions between India and Pakistan during their 2025 conflict, repeating his assertion that he played a key role in ending multiple global wars.
Speaking to reporters at an executive order signing event in his office, Trump said he had “settled eight wars” and again cited the India–Pakistan claim as an example.
“In almost every case, they sent letters thanking me and letters to the Nobel Committee. In the case of India, the Prime Minister of Pakistan said I saved from 30 to 50 million lives. But it could have been more than that. Two nuclear nations were going at it. 11 aeroplanes were shot down. I got it solved by the use of tariffs. I said, I’m going to charge you tariffs if you keep fighting,” Trump said.
“They said, ‘Oh please, don’t do that,’” he added.
Trump has repeatedly claimed credit for brokering a ceasefire between India and Pakistan. Since May 10 last year, when he announced on social media that the two countries had reached a “full and immediate” ceasefire, he has made similar claims more than 80 times, including asserting that he has “stopped eight wars” within his first year back in office.
At a Turning Point USA event in Phoenix, Arizona, Trump had earlier said, “I am the peacemaker. I am the one who settled eight wars. I settled a war that would have killed 30 to 50 million people, India-Pakistan.”
During a “Board of Peace” event on February 20, he reiterated that he had mediated between the two nuclear-armed neighbours during Operation Sindoor, claiming he had threatened “200 per cent tariffs” as an economic deterrent.
However, India has maintained that the ceasefire understanding during Operation Sindoor came after Pakistan’s Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) contacted his Indian counterpart.
India had carried out Operation Sindoor targeting terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK) in response to the Pahalgam terror attack.
(With inputs from PTI)