Washington: United States President Donald Trump has claimed that his administration helped prevent a nuclear war between India and Pakistan during their military confrontation in 2025, saying diplomatic pressure and economic leverage played a key role in easing tensions.
Speaking recently about the crisis, Trump said the two nuclear armed neighbours were dangerously close to a catastrophic conflict that could have cost millions of lives. He stated that Pakistan’s Prime minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed gratitude for U.S. efforts, saying many lives were saved.
The tensions began after a deadly militant attack in Kashmir in April 2025. India launched strikes on suspected militant infrastructure, triggering several days of military escalation that alarmed the international community. A ceasefire was reached on May 10 following intense diplomatic contacts and calls for restraint from global powers, including the United States.
Trump has repeatedly said that strong diplomatic engagement and economic pressure, including warnings linked to trade measures, helped push both sides toward de escalation. He has also suggested that without intervention, the conflict could have escalated into a nuclear confrontation.
Pakistan has acknowledged the role of international diplomacy and at times praised U.S. involvement in calming tensions. India, however, has not endorsed Trump’s claims and maintains that the ceasefire resulted from direct bilateral engagement and its own strategic decisions.
Security analysts say the crisis was serious and carried risks of wider escalation. However, military officials from both countries indicated that nuclear weapons were not under consideration, even as the situation remained tense.
The episode highlights the fragility of peace in South Asia and the global concern that even limited conflicts between nuclear armed states can quickly escalate into a wider crisis.