U.S. President Donald Trump, while highlighting his critical role in stopping a deadly India-Pakistan conflict in May, Wednesday praised Pakistani leaders said seven brand new fighter jets were downed. 7 brand new jets were downed
“If you look at India and Pakistan. They were going at it. Seven planes were shot down, seven brand new beautiful planes were shot down. They were going at it. Two nuclear powers,” Trump noted in remarks delivered to a gathering of Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) in Gyeongju, South Korea.
The U.S. president was speaking about his efforts to secure trade deals and reiterated how he leveraged the U.S. commerce to stop the dangerous conflict between India and Pakistan.
Analysts noted that Trump’s mention of seven new jets was made in reference to the loss of Indian war planes, which Pakistan said it shot down in first two hour of Indian aerial attack on the night between May 7 and 8.
Trump says 7 new beautiful planes were shot down during the India-Pakistan clash in May. Modi needs to answer – India has bought new Rafale planes, Pakistani jets were old! pic.twitter.com/dxyOTxorlB
— Ashok Swain (@ashoswai) October 28, 2025
Ashok Swain, an Indian-origin Professor of Peace and Conflict Research, Uppsala University, Sweden, commenting on the U.S. leader’s remarks, noted:
“Trump says 7 new beautiful planes were shot down during the India-Pakistan clash in May. Modi needs to answer – India has bought new Rafale planes, Pakistani jets were old!
Dr Muhammad Bilal Iftikhar Khan, a research fellow at Lahore’s University of Management and Technology (UMT) told Views News Now that President Trump’s description of the shot down planes as “brand new and beautiful” implicitly refer to stat- of-the-art Rafale
aircraft that India acquired shortly before the May conflict.
Pakistani aircraft were not brand new in any case, he noted.
Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also noted during last month’s UN General Assembly session in New York that Pakistan destroyed “seven of the Indian jets.” The Indian losses included high-tech French Rafale planes. India’s top military leader acknowledged the loss of planes a few weeks later but did not specify the number.
Four months after one of the biggest aerial dogfights in the history, New Delhi said its forces destroyed several Pakistani planes but neither the U.S. nor any other country or international organization has endorsed India’s claim.
In his remarks, Trump praised Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) Field Marshal Asim Munir.
Speaking about South Asia, Trump said, “I’m doing a trade deal with India and I have great respect and love as you know for Prime Minister Narendra Modi, as you know. We have a great relationship.”
“Likewise, the prime minister of Pakistan is a great guy, and the Field Marshal — they have a Field Marshal. You know why he’s a Field Marshal? He’s a great fighter. He really is. He’s a great guy too.”
The Prime Minister of Pakistan is a great guy, and the Field Marshal, they have a Field Marshal, you know why he’s a Field Marshal? He’s a great fighter.
– US President Donald Trump pic.twitter.com/JbV5TlrhlU
— Wajahat Kazmi (@KazmiWajahat) October 29, 2025
About the eruption of deadly clashes between the two South Asian nuclear powers, Trump recalled:
“And so I know them all. And I’m reading that seven planes were shot down — they’re going at it and they’re really starting to go, and it’s a big thing. These are two nuclear nations and they’re really going at it,” Trump said.
Trump also recounted his conversation with the leaders of India and Pakistan.
The U.S. president said he called Modi and said: “We can’t make a trade deal with you. ‘No, no, we must make a trade deal.’ I said, “No we can’t. You’re starting a war with Pakistan, we’re not gonna do it.”
US says President Trump played pivotal role in ending India-Pakistan conflict
Similarly, he said, he had a conversation with Pakistan’s leadership.
“I said, ‘We’re not gonna do trade with you because you’re fighting with India.’ “And they said, ‘No no no … you should let us fight’. They both said that. You know, they’re warring. They’re strong people.”
Trump described Modi the “nicest looking guy” but also added during his remarks that “he’s a killer” and “tough as hell.”
“I’ll tell you what, Prime Minister Modi is the nicest looking guy,” Trump said. “He’s… oh, you’d like to have your father like that. He’s a killer! He’s tough as hell!”
“Prime Minister Modi is the nicest-looking guy. He looks like your father. But he’s a killer. He’s tough as hell,” says U.S. President Donald Trump pic.twitter.com/8VeCi09w0e
— Shashank Mattoo (@MattooShashank) October 29, 2025
Trump then quoted the Indian prime minister and said imitating Modi’s accent, “No, we will fight!”
Trump went on to say: “I said, ‘Whoa, is that the same man that I know?’”
Continuing, Trump recalled:
“But after a while — and they’re good people — and after literally two days, they called up and they said, ‘We understand’. And they stopped fighting. How is that? Isn’t that amazing?
Modi contradicts Trump; says US had no mediatory role in India-Pakistan ceasefire
“You think Biden would’ve done that? I don’t think so,” Trump said, referring to his predecessor former president Joe Biden.
“Most people wouldn’t have thought of it.”
Trump underscored his ability to work out trade deals with international partners.
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Muhammad Luqman is Associate Editor at Views News Now. He writes on wide-ranging issues including economy, South Asia, the Middle East, agriculture, economy and innovation. Luqman has worked some of the leading news organizations and won acclaim for his original and research-based works.
