Trump repeats India-Pakistan ceasefire claim, cites Operation Sindoor

US President Donald Trump has once again claimed that his administration prevented a catastrophic conflict between India and Pakistan, saying Pakistan’s prime minister told him that millions of people could have died without US intervention.

Speaking during his first State of the Union address of his second term, Mr Trump said he had helped bring an end to eight conflicts worldwide, including what he described as a near “nuclear war” between the two South Asian neighbours following India’s military operation last year.

According to Mr Trump, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif told him that as many as 35 million people could have been killed during India’s Operation Sindoor if the United States had not stepped in to de-escalate the situation.

Mr Trump made the remarks while highlighting what he called his foreign policy achievements during the first ten months of his second term in office. He also said his administration was working to end another conflict, referring to the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine.

Claim repeated in Congress address

During his address to the US Congress, Mr Trump said that his administration was “restoring safety for Americans at home and abroad” and claimed credit for ending multiple wars across different regions.

He told lawmakers that India and Pakistan “would have had a nuclear war” without his involvement and added that the prime minister of Pakistan had warned of mass casualties if fighting had continued. Mr Trump did not provide further details on when or how the alleged conversation with Mr Sharif took place.

The US president has made similar claims repeatedly since May last year, when he announced on social media that India and Pakistan had agreed to what he described as a “full and immediate” ceasefire after US-mediated talks. Since then, he has publicly credited himself with stopping the conflict on numerous occasions.

Mr Trump has also said in the past that he warned both countries of severe economic consequences, including the threat of steep tariffs, if they did not halt military action.

India rejects third-party role

India has consistently rejected Mr Trump’s assertions, saying there was no foreign mediation involved in ending the hostilities. New Delhi has maintained that the decision to stop military operations followed direct communication between senior military officials from both sides.

Indian officials have said that the understanding to halt fighting was reached after Pakistan’s Director General of Military Operations contacted his Indian counterpart through established military communication channels.

India’s External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar has previously dismissed claims of US involvement, remarking that the United States “was in the United States” during the episode. India’s Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri has also stated that the cessation of hostilities resulted from bilateral military talks, not external intervention.

Background to Operation Sindoor

India launched Operation Sindoor on 7 May last year, targeting what it described as terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir. The operation followed an attack in April in the town of Pahalgam, in Indian-administered Kashmir, in which 26 civilians were killed.

Indian authorities said the strikes were aimed at militant groups accused of planning and carrying out attacks on Indian soil. Pakistan condemned the operation and denied that the sites targeted were linked to militant activity.

The exchange of military action raised international concerns about escalation between the two nuclear-armed neighbours, who have fought several wars since their independence in 1947.

Wider claims of conflict resolution

In his speech, Mr Trump listed several other disputes that he said his administration had helped to resolve, including conflicts involving Israel and Hamas, Israel and Iran, Egypt and Ethiopia, and Armenia and Azerbaijan, among others.

He also referred to the war in Ukraine, saying it would not have happened had he been president at the time of Russia’s invasion, a claim he has made repeatedly since returning to office.

Later in the address, Mr Trump briefly shifted to lighter remarks, including comments about honouring a Second World War veteran and joking about his long-stated desire to receive the Congressional Medal of Honour.

Pakistan’s reaction and diplomatic context

Mr Trump’s latest comments have drawn attention in Pakistan, where the government had previously nominated him for the Nobel Peace Prize, citing what it described as his diplomatic role in easing tensions with India.

However, the renewed claims have also proved awkward for Islamabad, as Pakistan has not publicly confirmed the figure cited by Mr Trump or provided details of any such warning to the US president.

The contrasting accounts from Washington, New Delhi and Islamabad highlight the continuing sensitivity surrounding the events of last year and the broader rivalry between India and Pakistan, where disputes over Kashmir and militancy remain unresolved.

While Mr Trump has portrayed his role as decisive, India’s firm rejection of third-party mediation underscores its long-standing position that disputes with Pakistan must be addressed bilaterally, without external involvement.