— India, Pakistan were ‘going at it hot and heavy’; ‘I used trade to get them to stop,’ US president shares
WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump has claimed that his administration played a key role in preventing a potential nuclear conflict between Pakistan and India, crediting the promise of trade as a crucial factor in de-escalating recent hostilities.
Speaking at the White House on Monday ahead of signing an executive order on drug prices, Trump said Washington was prepared to support both nations following their recent ceasefire agreement.
“They were going at it hot and heavy, and it was seemingly not going to stop,” Trump said. “I said, come on, we’re going to do a lot of trade with you guys, let’s stop it, let’s stop it. If you stop it, we’ll do a trade. If you don’t stop it, we’re not going to do any trade.”
The US president went on to emphasise the role of economic incentives in the peace effort. “People have never really used trade the way I used it. That I can tell you. And all of a sudden, they said, I think we’re going to stop. And they have,” he said. “They did it for a lot of reasons, but trade is a big one. We’re going to do a lot of trade with Pakistan, we’re going to do a lot of trade with India.”
Reflecting on the outcome, Trump said: “We stopped a nuclear conflict, I think it could have been a bad nuclear war. Millions of people could have been killed, so I’m very proud of that.”
The remarks came in the context of heightened tensions triggered by the killing of 26 people—mostly tourists—in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).
The attack led to a dramatic escalation between the two nuclear-armed neighbours. India accused Pakistan of supporting the militants behind the assault, a claim Islamabad strongly denied.
India launched airstrikes against what it described as militant training camps across the border. Pakistan said the strikes hit civilian areas, causing dozens of casualties.
