US President Donald Trump claimed on Thursday that 11 jets were shot down during the India-Pakistan conflict in May last year. Speaking at his Board of Peace, Trump increased the number of jets to 11 from his previous claims of eight.
Trump also said he had threatened to impose a “200 percent tariff”, and both countries halted the conflict as there’s “nothing like money.”
Trump again repeated that he called Prime Minister Narendra Modi to resolve the conflict, despite India’s rejection of any third-party mediation.
India has refuted any claims about fighter jets being shot down during its conflict with Pakistan last year. They also dismissed Trump’s claim about a US-brokered ceasefire between the two countries.
India has consistently refuted Trump’s claims, stating that the ceasefire was achieved bilaterally through the Director Generals of Military Operations (DGMOs), without third-party involvement.
India has also reiterated its long-standing position that any issues with Pakistan, including those related to Jammu and Kashmir, are to be resolved bilaterally between the two countries.
Trump’s full statement
At the Board of Peace meeting, Trump said, “He [Pakistani PM] said in front of our Chief of Staff that President Trump saved 25 million lives when he stopped the war between us and India…That war was raging.”
He added, “Planes were being shot down. And I got on the phone with both of them, and I knew them a little bit. I knew Prime Minister Modi very well…I called them, and I said, listen, I’m not doing trade deals with you two guys if you don’t settle this up.”
“And all of a sudden, we worked out a deal. I said, if you fight, I’m going to put 200 per cent tariffs on each of your countries. They both wanted to fight. But when it came to money, it’s nothing like money,” Trump said.
“When it came to losing a lot of money, they said, I guess we don’t want to fight…11 jets were shot down. Very expensive jets,” he added.
Trump has claimed credit for stopping the India-Pakistan conflict more than 80 times since May 10 last year, when he announced on social media that the two neighbors had agreed to a “full and immediate” ceasefire after talks mediated by the US, news agency. PTI reported.
India-Pakistan conflict
Trump was referring to the conflict post-Pahalgam terror attack in April of 2025.
India had launched Operation Sindoor on May 7 last year, targeting terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir in retaliation for the April 22 Pahalgam attack that killed 26 civilians.
