US President Donald Trump said on May 12 (US time) that his administration has played an important mediator in helping to promote a comprehensive ceasefire between India and Pakistan, two nuclear weapons-rich countries on the brink of conflict.
"On May 10, my administration helped promote an immediate and lasting ceasefire between India and Pakistan," Trump said at a press conference at the White House.
"We have ended a dangerous conflict between the two nuclear countries. Without the role of the United States, a hot and uncontrollable nuclear war could have occurred," he said.
Mr. Trump emphasized that it was the trade pressure he put in that that created a turning point in the relationship between the two sides. I said, stop. If we stop, we will do business with each other. Otherwise, there would be no commercial activities, he recounted. And they agreed.
The ceasefire was achieved through many factors, but trade was an important reason, Trump said. He confirmed that Washington will do a lot of trading with both New Delhi and Islamabad.
The US is in trade negotiations with India and is expected to soon begin negotiations with Pakistan.
Tensions between India and Pakistan had earlier escalated into armed conflict since the early morning of May 7. The Indian military has launched a campaign against facilities it calls terrorist in Pakistan and the Kashmir region controlled by Islamabad in response to a shooting that killed 26 people near the town of Pahalgam on April 22.
In response, Pakistan claimed to have shot down five fighters and an Indian unmanned aircraft in the air battle that was considered the most intense between the two countries so far, with more than 120 aircraft. In the following days, the two sides constantly ambushed the opponent near the border, pushing the area near the brink of the comprehensive war.
The situation only cooled down when Mr Trump announced on May 10 that India and Pakistan had reached a comprehensive ceasefire that would take effect immediately. He described it as the result of a "long negotiation night with the US as intermediaries". The two sides later confirmed an agreement to cease fire, ending a multi-day conflict that has killed nearly 70 people and displaced thousands.
Although still accusing each other of violating the agreement, India and Pakistan are generally maintaining a ceasefire. The two sides have not made any official comments on President Trump's statement.
