Trump claims credit for India-Pakistan ceasefire again; vows to 'swiftly' resolve Afghanistan-Pak tensions

US President Donald Trump on Sunday once again claimed to have played a key role in brokering a ceasefire between India and Pakistan earlier this year, asserting that his mediation helped end cross-border hostilities between the two nuclear-armed neighbours.

Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One en route to Malaysia for the ASEAN Summit, Trump said he believed resolving the India-Pakistan conflict would have been “more difficult” than ending the war between Russia and Ukraine.

“I got it done (ceasefire). There are others. If you look at India and Pakistan — I could say almost any one of the deals that I’ve already done I thought would have been more difficult than Russia and Ukraine, but it didn’t work out that way. Russia-Ukraine is the most challenging conflict to solve,” Trump said.

The US president has repeatedly claimed that he helped secure a “full and immediate” ceasefire between India and Pakistan after days of deadly clashes in May. He has attributed his success in resolving global disputes to his use of tariff threats as leverage.

India, however, has consistently denied any external mediation in its talks with Pakistan, maintaining that all discussions and de-escalation measures were achieved through direct diplomatic channels.

Trump also reiterated his claim that India would completely stop importing Russian oil by the end of the year, linking it to his ongoing tariff offensive against New Delhi.

“India is cutting back completely. I might discuss about China buying Russian oil with Xi Jinping,” he said, referring to his upcoming meeting with the Chinese President at the ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur.

Trump had earlier said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had assured him India would end all Russian oil purchases, though New Delhi has repeatedly emphasized that its energy policy is guided by national interest and consumer needs.

The US President also commented on his postponed meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, saying he would only agree to talks if there was a clear path toward a Ukraine ceasefire.

“I’m going to have to know that we’re going to have a deal (with Putin). I’m not going to be wasting my time,” Trump said, adding that Putin had previously praised him for helping broker peace in other regions such as Azerbaijan and Armenia.

“In fact, Putin told me on the phone he said, ‘Boy, that was amazing,’ because everybody tried to get that done and they couldn’t,” he claimed.

In total, Trump claimed credit for ending “eight wars in eight months,” while promising to quickly resolve the renewed tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan.

“I heard that Pakistan and Afghanistan have started up, but I will solve it very quickly. Pakistan’s Field Marshal and Prime Minister are great people,” Trump said, adding that his administration’s peace efforts had saved “millions of lives.”

Hailing his own foreign policy record, Trump said, “We are proud of the Gaza peace plan. We’re signing a trade deal with Cambodia and a critical minerals agreement with Thailand. These are part of the eight conflicts my administration ended in just eight months. Nothing like this has been done in history. I prioritise trade over wars.”

Fighting between Pakistan and Afghanistan reportedly broke out after Pakistan launched cross-border airstrikes in Kabul on October 9, targeting Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) camps. Islamabad accused the Afghan Taliban of sheltering TTP militants responsible for killing hundreds of Pakistani soldiers since 2021. In retaliation, the Taliban carried out a counteroffensive, killing 58 Pakistani soldiers and destroying 20 security outposts over the weekend.

Trump is currently on a three-nation Asian tour, with stops in Malaysia, Japan, and South Korea. During the ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur, he is scheduled to meet Xi Jinping to discuss ways to prevent further escalation of their ongoing trade dispute.

The threatened US tariffs and trade curbs on China are set to take effect on November 1, in retaliation for Beijing’s new export controls on rare-earth magnets and minerals. Trump has said his goal is to secure “fairer trade terms” and boost American exports through direct engagement with Asian leaders.

While in Malaysia, Trump also addressed the recent ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, expressing optimism that it would hold but warning the Palestinian group of “serious consequences” if violated.

“I think it will hold. If it doesn’t hold, Hamas will have a very big problem,” he said.