Washington: US President Donald Trump has invoked India–Pakistan tensions as he touted what he described as a sweeping record of ending global conflicts, claiming his administration has already “ended eight wars” and helped prevent disputes that “never would have happened” under his leadership. Addressing a meeting of his Cabinet at the White House, Trump said his foreign-policy approach had defused crises across key regions, including South Asia, and again linked his record to demands that he be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
Trump argued that US leverage and his personal diplomacy had reshaped calculations in multiple theatres of conflict, singling out the Russia–Ukraine war and asserting it would not have broken out if he had been president throughout. He said American envoys were currently in Moscow seeking a negotiated settlement and framed his approach as humanitarian, claiming to care “about all the people that are dying” as he cited fresh casualty figures from the frontlines. He also tied his foreign-policy posture to a narrative of renewed American strength, insisting that “America is strong and respected again” and pointing to higher NATO defence spending as evidence that allies now respond to US pressure.
In remarks calibrated for a global audience, Trump briefly but pointedly mentioned India and Pakistan as he listed conflicts he says he helped end or prevent, presenting their disputes as part of a broader case against prolonged US military entanglements. He said his strategy in regions ranging from South Asia to Gaza and Sudan relied on economic pressure and leader-to-leader engagement rather than open-ended deployments, while claiming that “every time” he ends a war, there is talk that he should receive the Nobel Prize. He added that a past Nobel laureate had privately told him he deserved the honour.
Vice President JD Vance endorsed Trump’s claims in the same meeting, contending that the administration had been working to “fix” foreign-policy problems created under Joe Biden and the Democrats. Secretary of State Marco Rubio described 2025 as one of the most consequential years in American diplomacy since the end of the Second World War and said Trump “puts America at the forefront of every decision,” crediting him with brokering sensitive ceasefire arrangements. Rubio particularly highlighted Trump’s personal role in securing a truce in Gaza, arguing that “no other leader” could have achieved the diplomatic alignment needed for the deal and positioning the episode as central to the president’s narrative of ending wars rather than starting them.
(Inputs from IANS)
