NewsTrump claims trade threats averted nuclear war in Asia

Trump claims trade threats averted nuclear war in Asia

Donald Trump announced that thanks to US mediation, a nuclear conflict between India and Pakistan was avoided. The US President emphasised that the threat to halt trade with both countries played a key role.

Donald Trump
Donald Trump
Images source: © PAP | CHRIS KLEPONIS / POOL
Adam Zygiel

What do you need to know?

  • Donald Trump claims that thanks to his mediation, a nuclear conflict between India and Pakistan was stopped. The key element was the threat to halt trade with both countries.
  • The United States played an important role in achieving a comprehensive and lasting ceasefire between the warring nations.
  • Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif praised Trump for his leadership, while Indian authorities downplayed the US's role in the process.

President Donald Trump, during a press conference at the White House, emphasised that the United States played a crucial role in preventing the nuclear conflict between India and Pakistan.

- 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 - said Trump.

Trump argued that he accomplished this, among other things, through threats to stop trading with both parties involved in the conflict.

- 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 - recounted Trump.

- 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. And 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 - recounted Trump.

Trump emphasised that US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Vice President J.D. Vance played important roles in the discussions. Meanwhile, after reaching the agreement, Indian authorities downplayed the US's role in the entire process, while Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif praised Trump and his leadership.

What led to the escalation of the conflict?

Armed clashes between India and Pakistan, both of which possess nuclear weapons, began on 7th May after India's attack on targets in Pakistan. This was a retaliation for a terrorist attack on 22nd April in Pahalgam, in the Indian part of Kashmir, which resulted in the deaths of 26 people. Pakistan asserted that it had nothing to do with the attack but responded with a series of strikes on targets in India. By Saturday, at least 66 people had died in the mutual shelling.

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