US President Donald Trump said on Monday that he had told Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi there should be no war with Pakistan, claiming his diplomacy and trade leverage had helped prevent several conflicts.
Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office during Diwali celebrations, Trump extended warm wishes to India and said he had spoken to Modi earlier in the day. “We talked about trade… he’s very interested in that,” Trump said, adding that they also discussed the importance of avoiding war. “We talked a little while ago about let’s have no wars with Pakistan. The fact that trade was involved, I was able to talk about that,” he remarked.
The US president emphasized that his efforts had contributed to regional peace, stating, “We have no war with Pakistan and India. That was a very, very good thing.” He praised Modi as a “great person” and a “great friend.” Trump also claimed to have prevented eight wars through “deals and trade,” including one between India and Pakistan.
Recalling the May conflict between the two countries, Trump said he had warned both sides that the United States would halt trade if hostilities continued, prompting them to back down within 24 hours.
The May 2025 military confrontation, the worst in decades, began after a terrorist attack in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam area. India blamed Pakistan, which denied involvement.
After days of cross-border strikes, Pakistan retaliated with Operation Bunyan-um-Marsoos, downing six Indian jets before a US-brokered ceasefire ended the fighting.
Trump also said energy and Russian oil purchases were discussed with Modi, claiming India had agreed to limit its imports. “He’s not going to buy much oil from Russia. He wants to see that war end as much as I do,” Trump said, linking the issue to ongoing trade tensions between Washington and New Delhi.
