Washington DC

US President Donald Trump on Monday once again asserted that his intervention helped avert a full-scale conflict between India and Pakistan, claiming that his actions prevented what he described as a potential nuclear war.

Speaking to reporters, Trump said that eight aircraft were downed during the four-day confrontation between the two countries that followed India’s Operation Sindoor, launched in response to the Pahalgam terror attack in which 26 people were killed.

“I’ve resolved eight wars. Thailand and Cambodia are moving in the right direction too. We stopped a possible nuclear war between Pakistan and India. The Prime Minister of Pakistan said President Trump saved 10 million lives, maybe more. Eight planes were shot down and the situation was escalating fast. The only conflict I haven’t solved yet is Russia and Ukraine,” Trump said.

The US President has on several occasions claimed that he used trade tariffs and diplomatic pressure to defuse tensions between New Delhi and Islamabad, asserting that the situation was brought under control within 24 hours. India, however, has rejected these claims.

New Delhi has consistently maintained that after suffering significant losses, Pakistan’s Director General of Military Operations contacted his Indian counterpart, following which both sides mutually agreed to halt firing and military actions on land, sea and air with effect from May 10.

Responding to a separate question on the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Trump said discussions between the two sides were continuing but acknowledged deep animosity between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. “There is tremendous hatred between them,” he said.

The remarks came shortly after peace negotiations concluded in Miami, Florida. Following the talks, Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff said that Russia remained committed to pursuing a peaceful resolution to the Ukraine conflict.

According to Witkoff, Russia’s Special Envoy Kirill Dmitriev held “productive and constructive” meetings over two days with the American delegation, which included Witkoff, Jared Kushner and White House official Josh Gruenbaum, to advance Trump’s peace initiative for Ukraine.

“Russia remains fully committed to achieving peace in Ukraine and deeply appreciates the efforts and support of the United States in resolving the conflict and restoring global security,” the statement said.

The discussions took place even as Ukrainian President Zelenskyy urged Washington to exert greater pressure on Moscow. Witkoff and Ukraine’s National Security and Defence Council Secretary Rustem Umerov later described the Ukrainian delegation’s engagements with US and European officials as constructive.

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In a joint statement, they said a separate meeting focused on further refining Trump’s proposed 20-point peace plan, aligning views on a multilateral security guarantee framework, and discussing a US-led security assurance mechanism for Ukraine.