‘I got it stopped’: Trump renews claim of halting India-Pakistan conflict

US President Donald Trump has once again claimed that he played a decisive role in stopping the brief military confrontation between India and Pakistan following India’s Operation Sindoor in May last year, reiterating the assertion despite repeated denials from New Delhi.

In an interview on Thursday, Trump said he had intervened to prevent a major escalation between the two nuclear-armed neighbours, claiming the conflict had reached an advanced stage. He asserted that “eight planes were shot down” during the fighting and described the situation as one where India and Pakistan were “ready to go at it big.”

Trump has made similar claims on numerous occasions, with media estimates suggesting he has repeated the assertion nearly 70 times since May. He has consistently portrayed the India-Pakistan episode as one of several conflicts he says he personally helped defuse.

India, however, has firmly rejected any suggestion of third-party mediation or intervention. Indian officials have maintained that the understanding reached on May 10 to end hostilities came through direct bilateral military communication, in line with India’s long-standing policy of strategic autonomy and opposition to external involvement in matters concerning national security.

Operation Sindoor was launched by India on May 7, targeting terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir in retaliation for the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 civilians. The operation was followed by four days of intense cross-border drone and missile exchanges before both sides agreed to halt military actions.

Beyond South Asia, Trump has also claimed credit for stopping multiple other conflicts. In the same interview, he said he helped end a long-running war between Congo and Rwanda, which he described as having lasted for decades. He further referred to tensions between Thailand and Cambodia, calling it “eight and a quarter wars” that he claims to have “put out.”

Trump argued that, in theory, he deserved a Nobel Peace Prize for each conflict he says he resolved, adding that preventing wars mattered more to him than the award itself. He also commented on Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado’s remarks about wanting to honour him for what she described as his role in “liberating” Venezuela.

While Trump continues to frame himself as a global peacemaker, India has remained unequivocal that the de-escalation with Pakistan was achieved without foreign mediation, underscoring its position that bilateral issues must be resolved directly between the concerned nations.