US President Donald Trump has once again stirred controversy by claiming credit for the May 2025 India-Pakistan ceasefire, asserting that 6-7 planes were shot down during the conflict and warning it could have turned nuclear. The clashes erupted after the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, which killed 26 civilians, prompting India to launch Operation Sindoor on May 7 against terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
India maintains the ceasefire was achieved through direct DGMO-level talks at Pakistan’s request, rejecting any notion of U.S. mediation. Trump’s comments, made ahead of his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, come amid heightened tensions over his new 25% tariff on Indian goods for purchasing Russian oil, set to rise to 50% within weeks, fueling political criticism and diplomatic debate in New Delhi.
US President Donald Trump Says 6-7 Planes Shot Down During India-Pakistan Conflict
United States President Donald Trump has reignited a diplomatic and political debate after claiming credit for brokering a ceasefire between India and Pakistan earlier this year, asserting that his intervention prevented a potential nuclear confrontation. Speaking on August 14, 2025, ahead of his scheduled meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska, Trump said, “If you look at Pakistan and India, planes were being knocked out of the air. Six or seven planes came down. They were ready to go, maybe nuclear. We solved that.”
Trump’s remarks referred to the intense conflict that followed the April 22, 2025, terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, which killed 26 civilians. In retaliation, India launched “Operation Sindoor” on May 7, targeting terror infrastructure deep inside Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. According to Indian military briefings at the time, the operation destroyed nine terror camps — four belonging to Jaish-e-Mohammed, three to Lashkar-e-Taiba, and two to Hizbul Mujahideen — and killed over 100 terrorists. India’s Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh also claimed that five Pakistani fighter jets and one large military aircraft were shot down during the exchanges, although Pakistan denied these losses.
The military escalation saw Pakistan respond with drone and missile attacks on Indian border posts and military installations. Following four days of heavy exchanges, a ceasefire was announced on May 10, 2025. India has maintained that the truce came after direct talks between the Directors General of Military Operations (DGMOs) of both countries, initiated at Pakistan’s request. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar have repeatedly stressed that there was no third-party mediation.
Donald Trump’s claim, however, paints a different picture — one in which his diplomatic involvement was central to halting the fighting. This has led to sharp reactions in India, with critics questioning both the accuracy and the timing of his remarks. Opposition parties, particularly the Congress, have seized on the issue to attack the Modi government for not pushing back harder against what they see as an attempt to undermine India’s diplomatic position.
Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh described Donald Trump’s latest comments as the “25th repetition” of a false narrative since the ceasefire and accused the government of failing to defend India’s official stance. Another Congress spokesperson, Pawan Khera, alleged that the prime minister was compromising national interests by allowing foreign leaders to take credit for India’s decisions.
The controversy is further complicated by donald Trump’s recent trade actions against India. On August 6, 2025, he announced a 25% tariff on Indian goods in retaliation for India’s continued purchase of Russian oil, with a warning that the tariff would increase to 50% within 21 days if the practice continued. Critics argue that Trump’s ceasefire claim cannot be separated from these economic pressures, suggesting that his narrative serves a dual purpose — to bolster his image as a global peacemaker while justifying a tougher trade stance.
Some political commentators have also highlighted Donald Trump’s emphasis on the nuclear dimension of the crisis. By portraying India and Pakistan as “ready to go nuclear,” Trump projects himself as having averted a catastrophic war. However, Indian defense analysts have questioned this framing, pointing out that despite the severity of the clashes, the conflict remained within the realm of conventional strikes. According to them, nuclear escalation was never an imminent likelihood, and Trump’s version appears exaggerated to enhance his diplomatic credentials ahead of his meeting with Putin.
The military specifics of Operation Sindoor remain a point of contention. While India’s official accounts emphasize the scale of damage to terrorist networks and infrastructure, Pakistani statements have sought to downplay losses, insisting that only minor skirmishes occurred and no significant air losses were suffered. Donald Trump’s vague reference to “six or seven planes” shot down seems loosely aligned with India’s claim of destroying multiple Pakistani aircraft, but without clear acknowledgment of the source of his information.
Within India, the incident has also reignited debates over how the government should handle foreign leaders’ public statements on sensitive bilateral issues. Diplomats and former officials have noted that India’s longstanding policy is to reject any suggestion of third-party mediation in disputes with Pakistan, a stance that has been consistently reiterated in public forums. They argue that failing to immediately and unequivocally counter Trump’s claim risks allowing it to gain legitimacy in international discourse.
Donald Trump’s remarks come at a delicate geopolitical moment. His upcoming meeting with Putin in Alaska is expected to focus on a range of security issues, and positioning himself as a successful crisis mediator could strengthen his bargaining position. By citing the India-Pakistan ceasefire as a diplomatic win, Trump reinforces a broader narrative of his presidency as one that delivers decisive action in moments of global tension.
Meanwhile, in both India and Pakistan, the public discourse remains divided. Some voices see Trump’s involvement as irrelevant at best and self-serving at worst, while others speculate that informal U.S. pressure may have played a behind-the-scenes role, even if it was not acknowledged officially. However, without concrete evidence from primary diplomatic records, such claims remain speculative.
As the debate continues, the core facts remain unchanged: the Pahalgam attack triggered one of the most intense India-Pakistan military confrontations in recent years, Operation Sindoor inflicted significant damage on militant networks, Pakistan sought a ceasefire through DGMO channels, and the truce was declared on May 10. Whether Donald Trump was a decisive factor in that outcome — or simply a political actor capitalizing on the event for strategic purposes — remains a matter of dispute.
Disclaimer: This article is based on publicly available statements, official briefings, and ongoing political discussions. Certain claims, including those by political leaders, may reflect personal or partisan perspectives and have not been independently verified. Readers are advised to cross-reference information with official government releases and credible news sources before drawing conclusions.Donald Trump Donald Trump