US President Donald Trump on Sunday once again took credit for resolving conflicts worldwide, including the recent escalation between India and Pakistan. Since May 10, Trump has been repeatedly claiming that he helped to secure a “full and immediate” ceasefire between the two nuclear-armed neighbours after talks reportedly mediated by Washington. However, India has repeatedly rejected any third-party mediation in the ceasefire, stating that no foreign leader asked India to halt its military operations.
Trump’s latest claims come shortly after White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said that the president deserves the Nobel Peace Prize for brokering peace deals around the world, including the India-Pakistan ceasefire.
On Sunday, Trump posted on his Truth Social platform, criticising radio host and author Charlamagne Tha God. He stated that Charlamagne “knows nothing” about Trump’s accomplishments, including “ending 5 Wars,” such as the 31-year conflict between the Republic of the Congo and Rwanda that caused seven million deaths.
Trump added, “He didn’t know that, or India and Pakistan or wiping out Iran’s nuclear capabilities, or closing the horrendous open Border, or creating the greatest economy.”
In an interview on Newsmax, Trump repeated his role in settling multiple wars. “We’ve settled a lot of, a lot of very beautiful wars One of the wars India, Pakistan, nuclear,” Trump said. He also mentioned conflicts between Thailand and Cambodia, as well as Congo and Rwanda, claiming to have resolved them largely through trade negotiations.
“I settled it up with trade. I said ‘listen, you guys are going to fight. You can fight all you want… But we’re not doing a trade deal.’ All of a sudden, they end up not doing a war.” Trump estimated that he has helped settle about one war per month, saving “millions of lives,” he added.
Earlier, Trump announced a 25% tariff on all goods imported from India starting August 1, alongside penalties for India’s purchases of Russian crude oil and military equipment. The tariff on Pakistan was set at 19%, lower than the 29% announced in April.
Trump also announced a new trade deal with Pakistan and said the US would assist Islamabad in developing its “massive oil reserves.”
WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY BACKS PEACE CLAIMS
At a press briefing on Thursday, Karoline Leavitt credited Trump with ending conflicts between Thailand and Cambodia, Israel and Iran, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, India and Pakistan, Serbia and Kosovo, and Egypt and Ethiopia.
Leavitt said the president has brokered about one peace deal or ceasefire every month during his six months in office. “It’s well past time that President Trump was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize,” she said.
INDIA REJECTS THIRD-PARTY MEDIATION
However, Indian officials have denied any external mediation in the ceasefire with Pakistan. In a special discussion in parliament on Operation Sindoor, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that no foreign leader asked India to stop Operation Sindoor, a military response to the April 22 terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir that killed 26 people.
“We had said from day one that our action was non-escalatory. No leader in the world asked us to stop Operation Sindoor,” PM said.
External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar also said that no third-party intervention helped bring about the ceasefire. He also clarified that the halt of military action was not connected to trade deals, as claimed by Trump.
Jaishankar added that Modi and Trump did not have any phone conversations between April 22 and June 16, the period covering Operation Sindoor.
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With inputs from Agencies
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