“They were going to end up in a nuclear war:” Trump again mentions Pakistan downed Indian jets

US President Donald Trump has once again said that Pakistan shot down at least five Indian aircraft during a four-day military conflict between the two nuclear-armed neighbours in May.

Speaking during an address at the White House, Trump said he played a key role in preventing what he described as a potential "nuclear war" between Pakistan and India.

He said that he warned both countries that continued armed conflict would result in a suspension of trade with the United States.

“We stopped wars between India and Pakistan. They were probably going to end up in a nuclear war. They shot down five planes in the last attack,” Trump stated.

"It was back and forth, back and forth. I called them and I said no more trade if you do this. They are both powerful nuclear nations. Who knows where that would have ended up, and I stopped it..," he added.

Although Trump did not explicitly name which country he was referring to when mentioning the downing of five aircraft, his comments appeared to support Pakistan’s long-standing claim of having shot down multiple Indian jets.

Read more: India's narrative crumbles as Trump says up to five Indian jets were downed by Pakistan

Pakistan has previously said that it downed as many as six Indian aircraft during the conflict.

India, however, has not officially claimed to have shot down Pakistani aircraft. Indian officials have admitted to operational setbacks, including the downing of their own aircraft, and the loss of advanced fighter jets like the Rafale.

Last week, while addressing Republican members of Congress at the White House, President Trump for the first time confirmed that five jets were shot down during the India-Pakistan conflict.

While the United States condemned the Pahalgam attack, it notably refrained from endorsing India’s claim that Pakistan was behind the incident.

On May 7, tensions escalated into a full-scale confrontation when India initiated military aggression against Pakistan. Pakistan retaliated with force and shot down five Indian aircraft, including Rafale jets. India has so far avoided confirming these losses.

‘Pakistan had live tracking of Indian military assets:’ India’s deputy army chief

The brief but intense conflict saw the use of fighter jets, drones, and heavy artillery from both sides, resulting in significant Indian losses. Eventually, India sought US intervention and signaled willingness for a ceasefire.

President Trump has taken credit for mediating the ceasefire, claiming that his communication with the leadership of both nations led to the de-escalation. According to Trump, a truce was reached on May 10 after he warned both countries that the U.S. would halt trade relations if they did not agree to cease hostilities.