NEW YORK/WASHINGTON, Dec 23: US President Donald Trump has once again claimed credit for defusing tensions between India and Pakistan, asserting that his intervention helped avert a potential nuclear conflict and saved millions of lives.
Speaking at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida on Monday, Trump said Pakistan’s leadership had acknowledged his role in preventing a war between the two nuclear-armed neighbours.
“We stopped a potential nuclear war between Pakistan and India. And the head of Pakistan, a highly respected General a Field Marshal and also the Prime Minister said President Trump saved 10 million lives, maybe more,” Trump said.
He made the remarks while flanked by Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, Navy Secretary John Phelan, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Referring to the escalation preceding the ceasefire, Trump claimed the conflict was intensifying rapidly. “Eight planes were shot down. That war was starting to rage. He said the other day that President Trump saved 10 million lives, maybe more,” he said, adding that the Russia-Ukraine conflict was the only major war he had yet to resolve.
Trump has repeatedly made similar assertions since May 10, when he announced on social media that India and Pakistan had agreed to a “full and immediate” ceasefire following what he described as a “long night” of talks mediated by Washington. Since then, he has reiterated his claim of helping settle tensions between the two neighbours more than 60 times.