Trump repeats India-Pakistan mediation claim, says 11 jets were downed during 2025 conflict
US President Donald Trump has once again claimed that he played a role in ending last year's military conflict between India and Pakistan, while alleging that 11 fighter jets were shot down during the four-day hostilities in May 2025.
Speaking aboard Air Force One on Wednesday, Trump said he deserved the Nobel Peace Prize for helping resolve several global conflicts, including the India-Pakistan confrontation, which he claimed "was going to be nuclear."
Without providing further details, Trump said "11 planes were shot down" during the conflict. However, he did not clarify whether the aircraft belonged to India, Pakistan or represented the combined losses of both sides.
India has consistently rejected Trump's claims of third-party mediation, maintaining that the cessation of military action followed direct communication between the armed forces of India and Pakistan without any external intervention.
The hostilities began after India launched Operation Sindoor on May 7, 2025, targeting terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied territories in response to the Pahalgam terror attack. The military exchanges continued for four days before both countries reached an understanding to halt military operations on May 10.
India has also stated that its armed forces destroyed or damaged at least a dozen Pakistani military aircraft, including F-16 fighter jets, during Operation Sindoor.
Trump further claimed that Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had credited him with preventing a wider conflict that could have cost millions of lives. New Delhi, however, has repeatedly reiterated that there was no US mediation in ending the hostilities.
