US president reiterates claim that 250% tariff threats helped stop the 2025 conflict, while India continues to reject third-party mediation.
WASHINGTON, UNITED STATES — WEB DESK | October 24, 2026
US President Donald Trump has renewed his claim that 11 aircraft were shot down during the 2025 Pakistan-India conflict, saying his threat to impose heavy trade tariffs helped bring the fighting between the two nuclear-armed neighbours to an end.
Speaking at a rally in Florida, Trump said he had warned Pakistan and India that they would face substantial tariffs and lose access to trade opportunities with the United States if hostilities continued.
According to Trump, both countries reacted angrily to the warning but subsequently stopped fighting. He also claimed that he had helped resolve eight wars and that tariffs played a role in ending several international conflicts.
However, Trump did not specify which country’s aircraft were downed in the Pakistan-India conflict or provide supporting evidence for the figure of 11 aircraft in his latest remarks.
Trump Repeats Claim of Ending Pakistan-India Conflict
Trump has repeatedly credited his administration with helping secure a ceasefire between Pakistan and India following the military confrontation in May 2025.
During his latest address, he said the prospect of losing access to the American market helped persuade both countries to halt hostilities. He also expressed frustration over not receiving the Nobel Peace Prize despite his claimed diplomatic achievements.
The aircraft-loss figure has changed in Trump’s previous public statements. He initially referred to approximately five aircraft in July 2025, later mentioned seven or eight, and claimed that 10 aircraft had been shot down in February 2026. His latest statement raises that figure to 11. These figures remain attributed to Trump and should not be treated as an independently verified total.
India Rejects Third-Party Mediation Claim
India has consistently rejected Trump’s assertion that Washington’s intervention was responsible for ending the conflict. New Delhi has maintained that the ceasefire understanding followed direct communication between the military leadership of Pakistan and India.
India has also disputed Trump’s account of aircraft losses, while the precise total and distribution of aircraft losses have remained contested.
The fighting took place from May 7 to May 10, 2025, during India’s Operation Sindoor, which followed the April 22 attack in Pahalgam. India said its operation targeted militant infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir. Pakistan denied involvement in the Pahalgam attack and responded militarily to India’s strikes.
A ceasefire brought the immediate confrontation to a halt on May 10, 2025. Trump has continued to cite the episode as an example of his administration’s diplomatic efforts, while India maintains that the ceasefire arrangement was reached through direct military-to-military contact.
Aircraft Losses and the Ceasefire Remain Contested Issues
Trump’s latest remarks have again drawn attention to two unresolved questions surrounding the 2025 conflict: the verified number of aircraft lost and the role played by external diplomatic pressure in securing the ceasefire.
Although multiple public statements have referred to aircraft losses, Trump’s figure of 11 does not, by itself, establish the number or identify the side responsible for the losses.
The competing accounts of the ceasefire also underline the continuing disagreement over how the hostilities ended. Pakistan has publicly acknowledged a role for Washington, while India has rejected the claim that a third party mediated the ceasefire.
For now, Trump’s latest statement remains a claim by the US president rather than an independently established accounting of aircraft losses or a mutually accepted explanation of the ceasefire.
