Trump says seven jets were downed during Pakistan, India war in May

US President Donald Trump on Monday reiterated his role in brokering a truce between Pakistan and India following their military clash in May. He claimed that seven jets were downed during the conflict. While there is no official confirmation of Pakistani jets being downed by Indian forces. International media, however, has confirmed that Pakistan downed multiple Indian aircraft.

The Indian Air Chief’s recently asserted an unsubstantiated claim, made 90 days after the clash, that six Pakistani jets had been shot down, a statement widely disregarded by his own media. 

Speaking to reporters, Trump recalled how he used a trade deal as leverage to deter the two nuclear-armed nations from further escalation, warning that the conflict could have turned far more dangerous.

"The war with India and Pakistan was the next level that was going to be a nuclear war... They already shot down 7 jets - that was raging,” Trump stated. 

He continued, “I said, 'You want to trade? We are not doing any trade or anything with you if you keep fighting, you've got 24 hours to settle it'. They said, 'Well, there's no more war going on. ' I used that on numerous occasions. I used trade and whatever I had to use…” 

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.

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

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

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 US would halt trade relations if they did not agree to cease hostilities.