New Delhi: US President Donald Trump on Monday (May 12) claimed that the threat of cutting off trade forced India and Pakistan to stop their fighting, asserting that his administration had stopped a “nuclear conflict” between the two neighbours.

Trump’s comments came just before Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s address to the nation, and three days after the two South Asian neighbours announced a ceasefire.

“I said, come on, we’re gonna do a lot of trade with you guys. Let’s stop it. Let’s stop it. If you stop it, we’ll do a trade. If you don’t stop it, we’re not gonna do any trade. People have never really used trade the way I used it, that I can tell you, and all of a sudden, they said, I think we’re gonna stop,” Trump said at a White House event.

There was no official response from the Indian government. However, official sources rejected Trump’s assertion, stating that “India rebuts US claim.”

For the first time, Indian officials released details of high-level calls with US counterparts during the conflict, asserting that trade was not discussed in any of them.

“After Operation Sindoor commenced, VP J D Vance spoke to PM on 09 May. Secretary Rubio spoke to EAM on 8 May and 10 May and to NSA on 10 May. There was no reference to trade in any of these discussions,”........

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