Despite India’s repeated fact checks, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt on Tuesday reiterated President Donald Trump’s claim that he helped resolve the India-Pakistan conflict earlier this year by using trade as leverage.

Speaking at a press briefing, Leavitt said Trump was “very proud” of brokering peace after the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack triggered Operation Sindoor and raised the risk of a nuclear clash between the neighbouring countries.

“(For) India and Pakistan (conflict), he (Trump) used trade in a very powerful way as leverage to bring that conflict to an end,” Leavitt told reporters.

“So I know he’s very proud of all of these achievements, and I know he’s very honoured to serve as the President of the United States and to restore peace around the world,” she added.

However, India has repeatedly rejected any third-party mediation in the ceasefire, stating that no foreign leader asked India to halt its military operations.

Leavitt stressed Trump’s peace efforts that he claims credit for — including bringing Armenia and Azerbaijan leaders to the White House and hosting Rwanda and Democratic Republic of Congo officials for talks on ending long-standing hostilities.

“I think he’s proud of all of the peace deals that he’s been able to achieve,” she said.

The press secretary also noted that Secretary of State Marco Rubio was keeping Trump “apprised of conflicts that are bubbling up all over the world,” but added that the president’s current focus remains on the Russia-Ukraine war and the fighting between Israel and Hamas.

TRUMP CLAIMS TO HAVE ENDED SIX WARS

During Tuesday’s White House discussions on Ukraine, the US President made two major claims: that he prefers peace agreements over temporary ceasefires and that he has brought six wars to an end since taking office.

Trump and his administration have repeatedly claimed to have helped settle the conflicts between Israel and Iran, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda, Cambodia and Thailand, India and Pakistan, Serbia and Kosovo, and Egypt and Ethiopia.

Trump himself has suggested that peace-making in Asia is becoming routine for him. On July 28, he described Southeast Asian tensions as “an easy one,” saying, “I’ve settled with India and Pakistan, and Serbia and Kosovo were going at it.”

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With inputs from agenies

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