Trump Steps Back, Credits India and Pakistan Leaders for Ceasefire

In a significant shift, United States President Donald Trump has stepped back from his earlier claims of brokering the recent ceasefire between India and Pakistan, instead crediting the leaders of both countries for choosing peace. This comes after weeks of Trump publicly asserting that his intervention and offers of increased trade played a decisive role in stopping hostilities between the two nuclear-armed neighbours.

The change in tone from the White House followed a direct and firm message from Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. During a 35-minute phone call initiated by Trump after the G7 summit in Canada, Modi made it clear that the decision to halt military operations was reached solely through direct communication between the Indian and Pakistani militaries, without any involvement or mediation from the United States. Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, speaking from Kananaskis, Canada, emphasised that at no point during the confrontation—known as Operation Sindoor—was there any discussion about an India-US trade deal or any proposal for American mediation.

PM Modi’s position reflected a longstanding Indian policy: New Delhi does not accept third-party mediation on its disputes with Pakistan, especially those related to Kashmir. This stance enjoys broad political consensus in India and was reiterated by Modi in his conversation with Trump. He also underlined that the ceasefire was initiated at Pakistan’s request after India’s military action made several Pakistani air bases inoperable.

Trump’s earlier statements had repeatedly suggested that his diplomatic efforts and the promise of increased trade with both countries were key to the ceasefire. He had claimed, “I stopped the war between Pakistan and India,” and said he told both sides that America would do “a lot of trade” with them if they stopped the hostilities. However, after Modi’s clear pushback and India’s public disclosure of the actual sequence of events, Trump changed his narrative. Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office after hosting Pakistan’s Army Chief General Asim Munir for lunch, Trump said he was “so happy that two smart people… decided not to keep going with that war. That could have been a nuclear war. Those are two nuclear powers, big ones, big, big nuclear powers, and they decided that”.

This marks the first time in weeks that Trump has refrained from taking credit for the de-escalation, instead praising Prime Minister Modi and General Munir as “very smart people” for their restraint. The US President’s remarks come as a quiet climbdown, possibly prompted by Modi’s fact-check and the strong Indian position that the ceasefire was a bilateral decision, not the result of external pressure or mediation.

Pakistan, for its part, has indicated that the ceasefire was established after its military returned a call initiated by the Indian military on May 7, and that the understanding was reached through existing military-to-military communication channels. No third party was involved in these talks, according to sources in New Delhi.

The episode highlights the sensitivity surrounding international involvement in India-Pakistan relations, especially given the nuclear capabilities of both countries. It also demonstrates India’s insistence on strategic autonomy and its unwillingness to allow outside powers to claim credit for its diplomatic decisions.

As the dust settles, the message from New Delhi is clear: the credit for ending the conflict lies with India and Pakistan alone, and not with any third party seeking to insert itself into the frame.