WASHINGTON – US President Donald Trump has once again commented on the brief military conflict between Pakistan and India earlier this year, claiming that “eight planes were essentially shot down” during the confrontation.
Speaking at the American Business Forum in Miami on Wednesday, Trump said, “In eight months I ended eight wars, including Kosovo and Serbia, the Congo and Rwanda … Pakistan and India.” He went on to say that while working on trade deals with both countries, he read reports that they were “going to war.”
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“Eight planes, seven planes were shot down — an eighth was really badly wounded. But eight planes were shot down essentially,” Trump said, repeating his earlier assertion that his intervention helped end the hostilities.
He reiterated that he warned both sides he would suspend trade deals unless peace was restored. “I said, ‘I’m not trading with you if you’re at war with each other.’ A day later, I got a call — ‘We made peace.’ They stopped. Tariffs did that,” Trump added.
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The US president has made similar claims in previous speeches, though the figures he cited have varied between five to seven aircraft. India has publicly disagreed with Trump’s version of events, rejecting his claims of direct intervention in brokering peace.
The May conflict between Pakistan and India erupted after an attack on Hindu tourists in occupied Kashmir, which New Delhi blamed on Pakistan without presenting evidence. The confrontation involved airstrikes, missile exchanges, and drone operations over four days, leaving dozens dead on both sides.
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While Pakistan claimed to have downed six Indian fighter jets, including Rafales, India acknowledged “some losses” but denied the number. Later, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, addressing the UN General Assembly, said the Pakistan Air Force turned “seven of the Indian jets into scrap and dust.”