US President Donald Trump has said that “seven brand new” planes were shot down during the India-Pakistan conflict. However, he did not clarify which country those planes belonged to. Trump once again claimed that he had stopped a military conflict between “two major nuclear powers”.
“Seven planes were shot down, seven brand new, beautiful planes, and they were two major nuclear powers battling each other,” Trump said during a dinner with businessmen in Tokyo on Tuesday.
The US President reiterated that he took the help of trade to end the conflict between India and Pakistan. He said, “I told Prime Minister Modi, I told a very good and gentlemanly Prime Minister and the Field Marshal of Pakistan that look, if you people keep fighting, we will not do any business.”
Trump said India and Pakistan argued that the war had nothing to do with trade with the US. “(He said) one thing has no connection with another,” Trump said. I said it has a very deep connection… there are two nuclear powers. You’re all affected, right? And I said if you fight we will not make any deal. And within about 24 hours the conflict was over. It was really amazing.”
It is noteworthy that on May 10, Trump had announced on social media that India and Pakistan have agreed to a “complete and immediate” ceasefire. He claimed that this was possible after “late night” talks mediated by Washington. Since then, Trump has claimed several times that he “helped resolve” the India-Pakistan conflict.
India has consistently clarified that the ceasefire agreement with Pakistan was reached through direct talks between the Directors General of Military Operations (DGMOs) of the armies of the two countries.
India launched ‘Operation Sindoor’ on May 7, in which terrorist hideouts in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir were targeted. This was in response to the terrorist attack in Pahalgam on 22 April, in which 26 civilians were killed. India and Pakistan agreed to end the conflict on May 10 after four days of drone and missile attacks.