‘10 Planes Shot Down’: Trump Revives India-Pakistan Ceasefire Claim

US President Donald Trump has once again claimed that he played a decisive role in preventing a major conflict between India and Pakistan last year, asserting that the situation could have escalated into a nuclear war . In an interview with Fox Business , Trump said that “10 planes were shot down” during the hostilities and maintained that he used the threat of imposing tariffs to pressure both sides into agreeing to a ceasefire . He further stated that Pakistan’s prime minister told him he had “saved at least 10 million lives” by intervening.

However, key aspects of Trump’s account remain disputed or unverified in public records . The number of aircraft allegedly shot down has varied in his previous remarks, and he has not specified which country’s planes were involved or provided independent confirmation . India has consistently denied any third-party mediation , maintaining that the May 10 ceasefire was achieved through direct military-level communications and reiterating its longstanding position that issues with Pakistan are strictly bilateral .

The tensions followed India’s launch of Operation Sindoor after a deadly terror attack in Kashmir , leading to several days of intense cross-border exchanges before hostilities subsided. While Trump continues to present the episode as an example of tariff-backed diplomacy , officials in New Delhi have rejected claims that trade pressure or US mediation played a role in ending the standoff.