WASHINGTON, DC: President Donald Trump on Monday said that the United States’ intervention has prevented a “bad nuclear war” between India and Pakistan, after the South Asian rivals agreed on a ceasefire following a series of clashes.
“We stopped a nuclear conflict. I think it could have been a bad nuclear war; millions of people could have been killed. So I’m very proud of that,” Trump told reporters at the White House.
The US President said that leaders of India and Pakistan were “unwavering”, and the U.S. “helped a lot”, adding that trade was a big reason why the countries stopped fighting.
“We are going to do a lot of trade with Pakistan…and India. We are negotiating with India right now. We are soon going to negotiate with Pakistan,” he said.
His statement came after the South Asian nations agreed on a ceasefire brokered by the US on Sunday after the nuclear-armed neighbours engaged in hours of overnight fighting.
Taking to his Truth Social wall, Trump praised leaders of both countries for agreeing to halt the aggression.
“While not even discussed, I am going to increase trade substantially with both of these great nations. Additionally, I will work with you both to see if… a solution can be arrived at concerning Kashmir,” Trump said in the post.
The ceasefire came after Pakistan armed forces launched a large-scale retaliatory military action, named “Operation Bunyan-um-Marsoos”, and targeted several Indian military strikes across multiple regions.
