'We settled that whole thing’: Trump repeats claim he ended Indo-Pak conflict through trade

US President Donald Trump on Wednesday reiterated his controversial claim that he was responsible for resolving the recent conflict between India and Pakistan, crediting ongoing trade discussions with both nations as the key factor.

“If you take a look at what we just did with Pakistan and India. We settled that whole thing, and I think I settled it through trade,” Trump said during an Oval Office meeting with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa. He added, “We’re doing a big deal with India. We’re doing a big deal with Pakistan.”

The remarks refer to a recent spike in tensions following the Pahalgam terror attack that left 26 civilians dead. India launched what it described as precision strikes under Operation Sindoor, targeting nine locations across Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. A ceasefire between the two countries followed soon after.

Trump portrayed his involvement as decisive. “Somebody had to be the last one to shoot,” he said. “The shooting was getting worse and worse, deeper into the countries. We spoke to them, and I think we got it settled.”

On his social media platform, Truth Social, Trump had earlier declared: “After a long night of talks mediated by the United States, I am pleased to announce that India and Pakistan have agreed to a full and immediate ceasefire. Congratulations to both countries on using common sense and great intelligence.”

Indian officials, however, have flatly denied that Washington played any role in the de-escalation. The Ministry of External Affairs in New Delhi issued a statement refuting Trump’s claims: “The trade issue did not come up in any discussions with Washington during the conflict.”

The Indian government has maintained that its actions were part of a unilateral counterterrorism operation and that no external mediation influenced its decisions. Officials have also rejected any linkage between ongoing trade talks and national security matters.

Despite this, Trump praised both countries and their leaders. “Pakistan has some excellent people and a great leader. And India — my friend Modi — he’s a great guy. I called them both. We just did something good.”

This is not the first time Trump has publicly taken credit for foreign policy developments that have been disputed by those directly involved. The latest comments add to a growing list of assertions that have sparked confusion or denial from U.S. allies.