India dismisses Trump’s latest “tariff diplomacy” story; MEA reiterates that India needs no third party to manage its borders or its battles
US President Donald Trump has once again taken credit for stopping wars across the world — this time, claiming that he prevented a full-scale conflict between India and Pakistan merely by threatening tariffs.
Speaking to reporters at the White House, Trump said, “India and Pakistan, eight planes were shot down. It was seven but now it is eight because one that was sort of shot down is now abandoned. And I said, ‘If you guys are going to fight, I’m going to put tariffs on you!’ Within 24 hours, I settled the war.”
While his remarks raised eyebrows globally, they elicited a few chuckles in New Delhi. Senior Indian officials privately described the claim as “vintage Trump — entertaining, imaginative, and completely disconnected from reality.”
India’s calm, Trump’s comedy
India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) reaffirmed that all communications leading to the May ceasefire with Pakistan took place through established military channels between the two nations’ Directors General of Military Operations (DGMOs) — a long-standing bilateral mechanism.
“India’s position remains consistent — all issues with Pakistan are resolved bilaterally. We do not require third-party mediation, or for that matter, tariff threats,” an MEA spokesperson said dryly, without naming the US President.
What really happened
The so-called “Operation Sindoor” in May followed the Pahalgam terror attack, which left 26 people dead. India’s cross-border action targeted terror bases, prompting a brief escalation. However, Indian and Pakistani DGMOs announced a ceasefire after communication via official channels — a process that had nothing to do with trade or tariffs.
Trump’s latest version of events — where he “read about the war on the front page” and “stopped it in 24 hours” — adds to his growing list of geopolitical tall tales. Only last week, while addressing the APEC Summit in South Korea, Trump claimed to have “ended five or six wars” using tariffs as his diplomatic weapon.
India’s quiet efficiency vs Trump’s loud diplomacy
Indian observers note that while Trump’s rhetoric plays well at domestic rallies, India’s measured, behind-the-scenes approach has long ensured regional stability without theatrics.
A senior defence analyst quipped, “If Trump could really stop wars by threatening tariffs, the world would’ve crowned him as the new UN Secretary-General by now.”
For now, India continues to focus on maintaining peace along its borders — without the need for dramatic tariff diplomacy from Washington.
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