U.S. President Donald Trump called his role in resolving last year’s conflict between nuclear-armed Pakistan and India a “very big deal,” detailing how a threat of steep tariffs helped stop the fighting that saw 11 brand-new jets shot down.
Speaking at the inaugural Board of Peace summit on Thursday, Trump praised both nations’ leaders for agreeing to his call for peace. Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif hailed Trump as the “savior of South Asia.”
“That was a very big deal; people have no idea. A lot of them say they weren’t fighting. [But] they were fighting. Eleven jets were shot down, very expensive jets,” Trump said, recalling his ceasefire announcement on May 10.
PRESIDENT TRUMP on ending the war between INDIA and PAKISTAN:
I told them I’m going to put 200% tariffs on each of their countries. It essentially doesn’t allow them to do any business. When it came to losing money, they said we don’t want to fight. And we solved that deal. pic.twitter.com/gM4J7s1oHT
— Department of State (@StateDept) February 19, 2026
The clashes erupted on May 7, 2025, when India fired missiles into Pakistan, claiming it was targeting alleged terror sites, which Modi claimed were linked to an April militant attack in the disputed Kashmir region.
In retaliation, Pakistan said it downed several Indian fighter planes including high-tech Rafales, as the world watched with horror if the two nuclear powers would go to an all-out war.
In his latest statement on Thursday, Trump elevated the number of warplanes lost to 11. Although, he did not name which country lost the plane, weeks after the clashes — one of the largest dogfights in the history — Indian military leaders acknowledge the loss of planes. No Pakistani planes were reported downed.
امریکی صدر ڈونلڈ ٹرمپ کی وزیراعظم محمد شہباز شریف سے بورڈ آف پیس کے اجلاس کے اختتام پر غیر رسمی گفتگو۔
اس موقع پر صدر ڈونلڈ ٹرمپ کی جانب سے غیر معمولی گرمجوشی دیکھنے میں آئی@CMShehbaz pic.twitter.com/daLwem8vvM
— PTV News (@PTVNewsOfficial) February 19, 2026
Trump praised Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was not present, as “a great man and a great guy. He is excited. He is watching us right now.”
He also lauded Sharif, saying “I like this man.” About Pakistan’s Field Marshal Asim Munir, Trump said he is “great, great general. Great Field Marshal, a great guy.”
Recounting the tense diplomacy, Trump noted Sharif’s earlier claim that the US president had saved “25 million lives.” “I said 25 million lives, could have been much more actually, but it was really a beautiful thing,” Trump said.
Trump Says 10 Jets Were Downed in India-Pakistan 2025 Clash https://t.co/bDGLmTblrH via @ViewsNewsNow #India #Pakistan #Trump pic.twitter.com/3j3FeVhNAb
— Views&News (@ViewsNewsMag) February 11, 2026
He described leveraging US trade relations to pressure both nations into a ceasefire: “I said, ‘If you fight, I’m going to put 200% tariffs on each of your countries,’ which essentially would have meant they could not have done any business with the US… When it came to losing a lot of money, they said, ‘I guess we don’t want to fight.’ And we solved that deal in two-three days.”
Trump emphasized the high stakes: “These are two very powerful, two nuclear nations. And I don’t want to say what was going to happen, but… bad things happen. People have no idea. They were all in, and now they’re not. And I think we’ll always be able to settle up with them. A lot of progress was made, even in the relationship.”
He concluded with praise for both leaders: “They’re all great, but I was very proud of it.”
Ali Imran is a Washington-based journalist, who has worked for leading world news organizations as correspondent, expert and in editorial positions. He is a published author and poet.
