In a speech delivered in Miami on Wednesday, US President Donald Trump intensified his longstanding claim of orchestrating a ceasefire between India and Pakistan, introducing a dramatic new detail: eight military aircraft were shot down during the clash—raising his earlier figure of seven.
Trump described being in the final stages of trade negotiations with both countries when reports emerged of escalating conflict between the two nuclear-armed states. “I read they were going to war,” he told the audience, underscoring the high stakes of a potential nuclear confrontation.
Seizing the moment, Trump issued a direct ultimatum: no trade deals would proceed unless hostilities ceased immediately. According to his account, this exchange took place on May 9, 2025. Just 24 hours later, on May 10, both nations publicly declared a mutual agreement to halt all military actions.
“The next day, I get a call saying, ‘We made peace,’” Trump recounted to applause. “I said, ‘Thank you. Let’s do trade.’ Tariffs did that.”
The president had previously imposed a 25% tariff on Indian imports in response to high duties on US goods, followed by an additional 25% penalty—bringing the total to 50%—over India’s continued purchase of Russian oil and its role in the BRICS alliance, which Trump criticized as anti-American. Pakistan faced a 19% tariff.
Trump hailed the resolution as proof of his tariff-driven diplomacy, claiming to have ended “eight wars” in his first nine months in office. His repeated assertions continue to fuel debate over Washington’s actual influence in one of the world’s most volatile regional rivalries.
