Former US President Donald Trump says he stopped India and Pakistan from fighting each other in May 2025. But India’s government strongly disagrees and says the two countries solved the problem themselves through military talks.
Trump’s Claims About Stopping Nuclear War
On Friday, May 30, 2025, Trump spoke at the White House with Elon Musk. He told reporters: “We stopped India and Pakistan from fighting.”Trump said the situation could have turned into a nuclear disaster.”
Trump claims he used trade pressure to make both countries stop fighting. He said America told both nations it would not do business with countries that are shooting at each other.
“We talked trade and we said ‘we can’t trade with people that are shooting at each other and potentially using nuclear weapons,”Trump explained. He called both countries’ leaders “great leaders” who “understood, and they agreed, and that all stopped.”
This is not the first time Trump has made this claim. He said similar things before when meeting with South Africa’s president.
India Strongly Rejects Trump’s Story
India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) completely disagrees with Trump’s version of events. MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said there were talks between Indian and US leaders from May 7 to May 10, but “The issue of trade or tariff did not come up in any of those discussions.”
India says the fighting stopped because of “direct contact with the DGMOs of India and Pakistan.” DGMOs are the top military commanders of both countries.
India’s Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar also rejected Trump’s claims in an interview with a German newspaper. When asked if people should thank America for the peace, Jaishankar said: “The cessation of firing was agreed between the military commanders of both sides through direct contact.”
What Really Happened in May 2025
The trouble started on April 22, 2025, when terrorists attacked Pahalgam in Jammu and Kashmir. The attack killed 26 innocent people.
India responded by starting Operation Sindoor on May 7. This military action targeted terrorist camps in Pakistan and areas controlled by Pakistan. The camps belonged to groups like Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammad.
Indian forces hit at least nine terrorist training sites. Reports say over 100 militants were killed in the first few days. The situation got worse as both countries used drones and missiles against each other.
Jaishankar explained India’s military success: “The morning before, we effectively hit and incapacitated Pakistan’s main airbases and air defence system.”** He said: **”I thank the Indian military because it was the Indian military action that made Pakistan say: We are ready to stop.”
How the Fighting Ended
The conflict lasted four days, from May 7 to May 10. On May 10, military commanders from both India and Pakistan talked directly to each other and agreed to stop all fighting on land, air, and sea.
This type of military-to-military talk is normal when India and Pakistan have problems. The commanders use a special phone line to communicate during tense times.
Why India Emphasizes Independence
India’s rejection of Trump’s story shows how much the country values making its own decisions. This is called strategic autonomy, which means India chooses what to do based on its own interests, not because other countries pressure them.
Indian officials believe Trump’s claims make it seem like India cannot make independent decisions about its own security. They want to make clear that India acted on its own after the terrorist attack.
The timing supports India’s story. Operation Sindoor happened right after the April 22 terrorist attack, which follows India’s usual policy of responding to terrorism with military action.
Different Views of the Same Event
The disagreement shows two very different stories about the same event:
Trump’s version: America used trade threats to force both countries to stop fighting and prevent nuclear war.
**India’s version: Indian military action was successful, and direct talks between military commanders ended the conflict.
Economic Background
America and India do a lot of business together – about $190 billion worth of trade each year. So American trade threats could hurt India’s economy. But India also trades with many other countries, which reduces America’s influence.
Pakistan has less trade with America but gets security help and aid. Pakistan also has strong economic ties with China.
What This Means Going Forward
This disagreement might affect US-India relations, but both countries have many shared interests. They work together on fighting terrorism, business, and regional security issues.
The dispute shows that even friendly countries can have different views about what happened during important events.
The Bottom Line
Both Trump and India agree that a dangerous situation between two nuclear-armed countries was resolved peacefully. They just disagree about who deserves credit.
Trump believes American economic pressure was the key factor. India insists that military success and professional talks between commanders solved the problem.
What matters most is that the fighting stopped before it could get worse. Whether it was economic pressure, military talks, or both, the methods worked to keep peace in South Asia.
The May 2025 crisis shows that conflicts between nuclear powers can be resolved through different approaches. The important thing is that both countries found a way to step back from a dangerous situation.
India’s position suggests that when serious conflicts happen, direct talks between the countries involved may be more important than pressure from outside powers. But Trump’s claims show that major countries like America believe their influence helps maintain world peace.
Key Facts:
- Terror attack on April 22 killed 26 people in Jammu and Kashmir
- India launched Operation Sindoor on May 7, 2025
- Fighting ended on May 10 after military commanders talked
- Trump claims trade pressure stopped the conflict
- India says military action and direct talks resolved the crisis
