Trump claims seven 'brand-new, beautiful' planes were shot down in India-Pakistan clash
Speaking in Tokyo, Trump claimed seven aircraft were lost in the May 2025 India-Pakistan conflict, repeating the figure several times while discussing his role in ending the clash
US President Donald Trump said on Monday that seven aircraft were lost during the brief military escalation between Pakistan and India in May 2025, claiming his intervention helped stop the fighting within 24 hours.
Speaking at a dinner with business leaders in Tokyo, Trump said: "Seven brand-new, beautiful planes were shot down." He repeated the claim several times, describing the aircraft as "seven planes were shot down, seven brand new, beautiful planes were shot down."
According to Arab News, Trump made the remarks while discussing what he said were wars he prevented through the use of tariffs. "If you look at India and Pakistan, they were going at it," Trump said. "I said to [Indian] Prime Minister Modi and I said to the Prime Minister [Shehbaz Sharif], very nice man, a very good man and the Field Marshal [Asim Munir] over in Pakistan … I said, 'look we're not going to do any trade if you're going to be fighting'."
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"We said 'no, we're not doing any deals if you're going to fight' and within 24 hours that was the end of that," he added. "It was amazing, actually."
Trump said his threat to halt trade was "70 per cent" responsible for ending the conflict, adding, "I think trade is responsible for 70 per cent of the fact that we didn't have wars."
The confrontation in May followed an attack on Hindu tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir on 22 April, which New Delhi blamed on Pakistan. Islamabad denied the accusation and described India's account as "replete with fabrications." The four-day escalation involved airstrikes, artillery fire, and drone use by both sides before a ceasefire was reached, says Dawn.
Pakistan's government claimed that it shot down six Indian fighter jets, including a French-made Rafale. New Delhi acknowledged "some losses" but denied losing six jets and did not specify a number.
Trump said he performed "a great service to the world" by helping end the conflict, though India has disputed his role in the ceasefire that was announced on 10 May.
