Trump continues his rhetoric on ending India-Pakistan conflict, calls Pak PM "terrific man"

Trump has claimed to have settled eight major global conflicts using trade leverage and tariff threats. However, a closer examination shows a more complicated picture of fragile ceasefires, ongoing clashes and overstated diplomatic gains.

In his address to the 81st session of the UN General Assembly in New York, US President Donald Trump again claimed credit for de-escalating the India-Pakistan conflict, while describing Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif as a "terrific man". Trump has repeatedly claimed that his diplomatic intervention and threat of tariffs helped avert a major military escalation between the two nuclear-armed neighbours, brokering peace between India and Pakistan following the Operation Sindoor carried out by New Delhi in response to the terror attack in Pahalgam that claimed 26 lives in April last year.

Trump claimed that the Prime Minister of Pakistan personally credited him with saving tens of millions of lives by stopping a war with India. Highlighting his record on resolving long-standing hostilities including Azerbaijan, Armenia, Cambodia, and Rwanda, Trump stated, "Since I took office, it has been my great honor to settle eight wars and, in so doing, become friendly with the leaders of many of those countries. It was a great honor to do it. Numerous of these wars have gone on for many years, and even decades.  Among them, in terms of settlement: Cambodia and Thailand, Kosovo and Serbia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda, Pakistan and India, Armenia and Azerbaijan. And of course, the war in Gaza, which, as I stated previously, includes the return of all hostages, both living and dead. Almost every one of these countries wrote me a letter of thank you."

"The Prime Minister of Pakistan, a terrific man, said that Donald Trump was responsible for saving 30 million lives, and probably many more than that," he added. While Pakistani leadership publicly credited Trump with "saving 30 million lives" by halting an escalation, New Delhi’s official stance consistently contradicts Trump’s narrative. India, however, has consistently rejected any third-party mediation, asserting that the 2025 ceasefire and de-escalation were achieved through direct communication between the military leaderships of India and Pakistan.

The pause in hostilities was achieved through established military-to-military channels and diplomatic posture rather than a US-brokered deal. Trump cited his leverage of trade and tariff threats to bring hostiles to the negotiating table.

"The reason I was able to make these settlements was the use of my relationships, very special relationships, to this day, very, very special: trade, the use of tariffs and the threat of tariffs, and various other reasons, depending on the country," he said. Turning to Gaza, Trump reflected on the diplomatic steps taken on the sidelines of last year's UNGA summit.

"One year ago when I addressed the great leaders in this Grand Hall, the War in Gaza was still raging brutally, the hostages were still deep in Hamas tunnels, and there was no end in sight. But here on the sidelines of the General Assembly, we took the first steps that changed everything. A few weeks later, we ENDED the War in Gaza, saving untold thousands of lives. We also brought home ALL remaining hostages, both living and dead." On the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, Trump expressed confidence that a resolution would be reached swiftly, citing heavy monthly casualties:

"We continue to seek an end to the disastrous war between Russia and Ukraine, which is killing tens of thousands of people per month. We’re working very closely with the leaders of Russia and Ukraine. And we will get that one done. It’s going to happen, I think, more quickly than people understand. They’ve had it. 25,000 young people, mostly soldiers, a month are dying. 25,000 a month. And I look at those battlefield pictures, and I really don’t want to see them anymore. It’s so horrible to see," Trump said. Trump has claimed to have settled eight major global conflicts using trade leverage and tariff threats. However, a closer examination shows a more complicated picture of fragile ceasefires, ongoing clashes and overstated diplomatic gains.

While Trump said he brokered an immediate truce between India and Pakistan after Operation Sindoor and averted a nuclear war, the reality is an uneasy standoff. The ceasefire is holding precariously, but India continues to keep the Indus Waters Treaty and bilateral trade suspended, with no formal peace agreement in place. On Gaza and the Middle East, where he claimed to have ended the war and secured the return of all hostages, fighting has only slowed. Low-level skirmishes continue and political and humanitarian reconstruction remains stalled.

In the case of DR Congo and Rwanda, despite Trump's claim of mediating a long-term peaceful resolution, M23 rebel activity and border skirmishes are still ongoing. Similarly, on Armenia and Azerbaijan, he claimed to have resolved the decades-old Nagorno-Karabakh hostility. While a baseline agreement exists, border demarcation is still disputed and parliamentary ratifications are pending.

For Serbia and Kosovo, Trump claimed economic normalization and settlement of border disputes, but while economic commitments were made, core issues of territorial status and diplomatic recognition remain unresolved. In Cambodia and Thailand, where he said he resolved historical border and temple tensions, the conflict had already become largely inactive before his intervention, with trade leverage playing only a marginal role.

On Israel and Iran, Trump claimed to have stopped a 12-day escalation. In reality, a temporary pause in direct strikes was achieved, but shadow warfare and high regional risks persist. And on Russia and Ukraine, where he assured a rapid resolution through tariff pressure on buyers of Russian oil, the war remains active with high intensity, with battlefield casualties still reported at around 25,000 per month and no formal ceasefire in sight.

Making his remarks on foreign policy, Trump warned that "the United States and Iran will definitely get it done," before pointing to newly signed Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026, which grants him the power to levy duties reaching 100 per cent against primary importers of Russian oil and gas. "Last week, in honor of Senator Lindsey Graham, I signed a powerful new law passed by Congress providing me with enormous new tariff authorities — and if necessary, I will use them. It is time to STOP THE KILLING," he remarked.

President Trump endorsed the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026 subsequent to its approval across both legislative houses in Congress. The administration noted that the statute broadens formal sanctions, import duties, and trade restrictions concerning Russia while prolonging current economic penalties on Iran.

The regulatory framework focuses on Russia's petroleum and military sectors, Russian administrators and banking institutions, alongside its designated “shadow fleet” of maritime vessels deployed to bypass limitations on Russian crude shipments. For India, the legislation establishes a statutory pathway that could allow Washington to impose tariffs of up to 100 per cent on Indian imports in response to continued purchases of Russian energy. (ANI)