Former US President Donald Trump has once again asserted that his personal intervention was the sole factor in preventing a full-scale war between India and Pakistan, framing this as a key achievement that makes him deserving of the Nobel Peace Prize.
Trump's Sweeping Claims at White House Meeting
During a meeting with leaders from the US oil industry at the White House on Saturday, Trump reiterated a series of foreign policy claims. He specifically highlighted the situation between India and Pakistan as a conflict he had personally de-escalated. "I settled 8 wars... Some of them, which were just getting ready to start, like India and Pakistan, where already 8 jets were shot down... I got it done in rapid order, without nuclear weapons," Trump stated.
He directly linked these assertions to his belief that he merits the prestigious global award. "I can't think of anybody in history who should get the Nobel Peace Prize other than me; nobody else settled wars," the former President declared.
References to Putin and Imran Khan
Trump elaborated on his narrative by mentioning other world leaders. He claimed that Russian President Vladimir Putin had contacted him about two conflicts that had persisted for a decade. Furthermore, Trump referenced a public statement by Pakistan's then-Prime Minister, Imran Khan. "Pakistan's Prime Minister came here and made a public statement saying President Trump saved 10 million lives involving Pakistan and India, and that was going to be raging," he added.
In a previous interview with Fox News, Trump had described the India-Pakistan crisis as one of "eight and a quarter" wars he claimed to have ended. He insisted that his actions, which included warnings about trade and tariffs, were what prevented a serious escalation. "India-Pakistan was ready to go at it big … and I got that one stopped," he had said.
India's Firm Rejection and Analyst Views
India's official position has remained consistent and starkly contradicts Trump's claims. New Delhi has repeatedly rejected any suggestion of US mediation in the ceasefire that was established in May 2025. The Indian government maintains that the halt in hostilities was achieved through direct bilateral military-to-military talks between India and Pakistan, with no outside intervention.
Foreign policy experts have also weighed in, noting that while the Trump administration did support ceasefires in various global conflicts, his characterization of them as fully "ended wars" and a valid basis for Nobel Prize consideration is widely disputed. Analysts point out that such claims often oversimplify complex diplomatic and on-ground realities.
Nobel Prize Context and Venezuela Mention
The topic of the Nobel Peace Prize arose in another context during the meeting. When a reporter pressed Trump about Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado—who won the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize and dedicated it partly to Trump for US actions against the Maduro regime—he said he had not yet spoken with her. However, he indicated he would do so and "might be involved in some aspect" of future efforts regarding Venezuela.
This latest episode underscores the ongoing debate about the role of third-party nations in the historically tense India-Pakistan relationship and the frequent gap between political narratives and documented diplomatic history.
