Seven ‘brand new’ Indian jets shot down in conflict with Pakistan: Trump

US President Donald Trump on Tuesday claimed that his threat to suspend trade with both Pakistan and India was instrumental in ending a four-day military standoff between the two nuclear-armed neighbors in May, during which he said India's seven “brand new, beautiful” jets were shot down.

The confrontation — the most intense between the two countries in decades — followed a deadly attack in Indian-occupied Kashmir on April 22, which killed 26 people. New Delhi blamed Pakistan for the assault, an accusation Islamabad denied, calling instead for a credible international investigation.

Experts estimate that the brief but fierce aerial combat, which lasted about an hour and took place at night, involved nearly 110 aircraft, making it one of the largest air battles in recent history. Pakistani officials claimed to have downed six Indian jets, including French-made Rafales, while India acknowledged losses but did not confirm specific figures.

Trump, who announced a ceasefire between India and Pakistan on May 10, told reporters at a ceremony in Japan that his intervention was a decisive factor. “If you look at India and Pakistan, they were going at it — seven planes were shot down, two big nuclear powers — and I said to both Prime Ministers, ‘We’re not going to do any trade if you’re going to be fighting,’” he said.

The former U.S. president claimed his threat to suspend trade had been “70 percent responsible” for defusing not only the South Asian crisis but also tensions in other global flashpoints, including Azerbaijan and Armenia, Thailand and Cambodia, Serbia and Kosovo, Israel and Iran, Egypt and Ethiopia, and Rwanda and Congo.

Trump said he personally spoke to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, and Pakistan’s army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, during the crisis. “They’re very good people,” Trump added, “but I told them clearly: no trade if there’s fighting.”

While Washington has credited quiet diplomacy for helping ease tensions, India has publicly disputed Trump’s claims, saying the ceasefire was achieved independently and not due to U.S. pressure.

Since the May truce, Islamabad and Washington have expanded cooperation across several sectors, including counterterrorism, defense, mining, and minerals. Both sides have also intensified engagement on trade, technology, and climate resilience, signaling a renewed effort to stabilize ties and deepen long-term collaboration.