Trump says he gave ‘terrific’ Modi a day to stop war with Pakistan but it ended in 5 hours; Congress slams PM

New Delhi: US President Donald Trump has once again asserted that he prevented a potential nuclear war between India and Pakistan by threatening to impose steep tariffs and refusing to engage in trade deals unless both countries agreed to a ceasefire. His latest remarks came during a White House cabinet meeting on Wednesday, reigniting political debates in India over the handling of the ceasefire.

Addressing his conversation with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Trump said, “I am talking to a very terrific man, Narendra Modi. I said, ‘What's going on with you and Pakistan?’ The hatred was tremendous. This has been going on for a hell of a long time, like, sometimes with different names for hundreds of years.”

He added, “I said, I don't want to make a trade deal with you… You guys are going to end up in a nuclear war… I said, call me back tomorrow. But we're not going to do any deals with you, or we're going to put tariffs on you that are so high, your head's going to spin.”

According to Trump, the conflict was halted within five hours of his intervention, “Within five hours, it was done. Maybe it starts again, but I will stop it if it does.”

Trump also claimed that “seven jets or maybe more than that” were shot down during the conflict, though he did not specify which country’s aircraft were involved.

These comments come just hours before new tariffs totalling 50 per cent on Indian goods were scheduled to take effect on August 27. Trump previously said he used tariffs and trade negotiations to stop four of the seven wars he claims to have ended during his presidency.

Since announcing on social media on May 10 that India and Pakistan had agreed to a “full and immediate” ceasefire following talks mediated by Washington, Trump has repeated over 40 times his claim of helping settle tensions between the two nuclear-armed neighbours.

What has India claimed about ceasefire?

However, India has consistently maintained that the ceasefire was the result of direct military talks between the Directors General of Military Operations (DGMOs) of India and Pakistan. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has asserted in Parliament that no foreign leader requested India to stop its military Operation Sindoor, which targeted terrorist infrastructure across the border. External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar has categorically denied any third-party intervention in the ceasefire.

Opposition claims Modi compromised because of Trump fear

The political opposition has seized on Trump’s comments to question the Modi government’s role. Sharing the video of Trump’s remarks on X, the Congress party stated, "I called Modi and said stop the war, otherwise I will not do any trade. Frightened by this, the war was stopped within 5 hours. Trump said for the 42nd time, I stopped the war between India and Pakistan."

The Congress further questioned, "Why did Narendra Modi compromise India’s honour? Why did he fear Trump?"