Washington: US President Donald Trump referenced India and Pakistan while highlighting what he called a sweeping record on ending global conflicts, telling his Cabinet that several international disputes “never would have happened” under his leadership and that he had already “ended eight wars,” including those involving South Asia.
At the White House Cabinet Room, Trump said his foreign-policy record included defusing crises across regions that matter deeply to Indian and South Asian audiences. “We ended eight wars. Think of that, eight wars,” he declared. “What about the other eight wars, India, Pakistan, think of — think of all the wars I ended.”
He argued that US leadership under his presidency had changed calculations in multiple global theatres.
On the conflict in Eastern Europe, Trump insisted the Russia–Ukraine war “never would have happened if I were president” and said his team was now attempting a negotiated settlement. “Our people are over in Russia right now to see if we can get it settled,” he said.
Casting his approach as humanitarian, he added: “I care about death. I care about all the people that are dying,” noting that “27,000 people died between Russia and Ukraine last month.”
Trump linked stability abroad to what he described as a renewed era of American leverage. “America is strong and respected again,” he said. “On the world stage, we’re really respected.” He also pointed to increased NATO spending pledges: “I went to a NATO, and they were calling me the president of Europe.”
His comments carry weight for Indian audiences because US engagement in Pakistan, Afghanistan, Russia and the Gulf continues to shape India’s security environment.
Trump’s brief but pointed reference to the India–Pakistan disputes came as he argued for avoiding prolonged American entanglements and instead relying on economic pressure and personal diplomacy.
He portrayed that same strategy as central to US involvement in Gaza, Sudan and other regions. “Every time I end a war, they say, if President Trump ends that war, he’s going to get the Nobel Prize,” he said, adding that a past laureate had told him, “Trump deserves the Nobel Prize.”
Vice President JD Vance backed the president’s argument, saying the administration had been working to “fix what Joe Biden and the Democrats created.” At the same time, Secretary of State Marco Rubio described 2025 as “the most transformational year in American foreign policy since the end of the Second World War at least.” Rubio said Trump “puts America at the forefront of every decision” and credited him for shepherding delicate ceasefire arrangements.
Rubio said Trump’s direct involvement was decisive in the Gaza truce. “No other leader in the world could have pulled off what happened in Gaza,” he said, claiming the president had rallied a comprehensive diplomatic alignment.
(IANS)
