'My administration brokered a historic ceasefire between India and Pakistan': US President Donald Trump

NEW DELHI: Speaking in Riyadh during his Middle East tour, US President Donald Trump once again claimed the credit for brokering what he called a “historic ceasefire” between India and Pakistan, following days of heightened military tensions earlier this month.“Just days ago, my administration successfully brokered a historic ceasefire to stop the escalating violence between India and Pakistan, and I used trade to a large extent to do it,” Trump said, addressing a crowd.He added, “I said, fellas, come on, let’s make a deal. Let’s do some trading. Let’s not trade nuclear missiles. Let’s trade the things that you make so beautifully.”Trump praised the leaders of both India and Pakistan, calling them “powerful, strong, smart,” and expressed hope that the ceasefire would hold. He also suggested that US diplomacy may even lead to a potential thaw between the two countries.Trump specifically thanked Senator Marco Rubio and Vice President JD Vance for their role in the negotiations. “Marco, stand up. What a great job you did on that,” he said.“Maybe we can even get them together a little bit, Marco, where they go out and have a nice dinner together,” he suggested.“Millions of people could have died from that conflict that started off small and was getting bigger and bigger by the day,” Trump said.Later, White House deputy spokesperson Tommy Pigott echoed Trump' claims during a press briefing saying, “We welcome the ceasefire between India and Pakistan and commend Prime Ministers Modi and Sharif for choosing the path of peace. As President Trump said, their decision reflects strength, wisdom, and fortitude. We urge both sides to maintain direct communication to preserve regional stability.”The comments come days after India launched Operation Sindoor in response to a terror attack in Pahalgam. The government said the operation targeted terrorist infrastructure inside Pakistan and degraded the country’s military capabilities.Trump's remarks came during his first stop in Saudi Arabia on a three-nation trip focused on curbing Iran’s nuclear program, ending the war in Gaza, and addressing energy security.