On Monday, former U.S. President Donald Trump stated that American intervention helped prevent a “major nuclear war” between Pakistan and India, following a ceasefire agreement between the two South Asian rivals after a period of intense conflict.
“We prevented a nuclear conflict. It could have turned into a devastating nuclear war with millions of lives lost. I’m very proud of what we accomplished,” Trump told reporters at the White House.
He further expressed that the United States remains committed to assisting both Pakistan and India in the aftermath of the ceasefire, which he claimed was brokered by his administration. At a separate White House event, Trump noted that trade played a significant role in motivating both nations to halt hostilities.
His remarks followed an agreement between India and Pakistan to cease fire after hours of heavy overnight fighting. Trump praised both countries’ leaders on his Truth Social platform for reaching the agreement to end the escalation.
“Although it hasn’t been discussed yet, I intend to significantly increase trade with both of these great nations. I also plan to work with them toward finding a resolution on the Kashmir issue,” Trump wrote.
The ceasefire was announced after Pakistan’s military launched a large-scale retaliatory operation, dubbed Operation Bunyan-um-Marsoos, targeting multiple Indian military positions across different regions. Pakistani officials described the strikes as “precise and proportionate,” carried out in response to continued Indian aggression along the Line of Control (LoC) and within Pakistani territory.
The escalation was reportedly triggered by India’s unprovoked missile attacks on various Pakistani cities during the night of May 5 and 6. India claimed the strikes were aimed at “terrorist targets” in retaliation for last month’s attack in Pahalgam, located in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK). However, the Indian strikes caused civilian casualties in Pakistan, leading to a strong military response from Islamabad.
