Trump cites India-Pakistan de-escalation while flagging Ukraine impasse

Trump cites role in averting nuclear escalation between India and Pakistan as US envoy backs Russia’s commitment to peace talks

PGurus Newsdesk

December 23, 2025

India–Pakistan conflict was nearing nuclear war, claims Trump

Trump claims role in averting India–Pakistan nuclear escalation

US President Donald Trump on Tuesday said deep personal animosity between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was hampering ongoing efforts to secure a peace settlement between the two countries.

Speaking to reporters, Trump said that while his administration had successfully helped de-escalate several global conflicts, the war between Russia and Ukraine remained unresolved due to what he described as “tremendous hatred” between the two leaders.

“There is tremendous hatred between President Putin and President Zelenskyy,” Trump said, adding that this was complicating negotiations. He claimed that he had helped resolve or defuse eight conflicts during his tenure, including tensions between India and Pakistan, which he said were escalating towards a nuclear confrontation.

“We stopped a potential nuclear war between Pakistan and India,” Trump said, also claiming that eight aircraft were shot down during the conflict. He added that the Prime Minister of Pakistan had credited him with saving millions of lives, though he did not provide further details.

Trump has repeatedly claimed that he used trade pressure, including the threat of tariffs, to push both India and Pakistan toward a ceasefire.

India, however, has rejected this assertion, stating that the ceasefire followed a Director General of Military Operations (DGMO)-level communication initiated by Pakistan and that no third-party mediation was involved.

“The only war I haven’t solved yet is Russia-Ukraine,” Trump said.

#WATCH | Washington DC | US President Donald Trump says, “… There is tremendous hatred between President Putin and President Zelenskyy… I have solved 8 wars. Thailand is starting to shape up with Cambodia, but I think we have it in pretty good shape… We stopped a potential… pic.twitter.com/rJhCCNk9cH
— ANI (@ANI) December 22, 2025

Russia committed to peace in Ukraine: US envoy

Separately, US officials said diplomatic efforts to advance peace in Ukraine had made progress following talks held in Miami, Florida.

Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, said Russian Special Envoy Kirill Dmitriev held “productive and constructive” meetings with the American delegation over two days to further discussions aligned with President Trump’s peace plan for Ukraine.

“The American delegation included Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, Jared Kushner, and White House staff member Josh Gruenbaum,” Witkoff said in a statement.

He added that Russia remained committed to pursuing a peaceful resolution to the conflict and appreciated US efforts to restore stability. “Russia remains fully committed to achieving peace in Ukraine and highly values the efforts and support of the United States to resolve the conflict and re-establish global security,” the statement said.

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