US President Donald Trump on Monday made a startling claim about the ceasefire announced by India and Pakistan, saying that he warned both countries that the US would halt trade with them if they did not stop fighting.

In a video statement shared by the White House, Trump said: “…I am very proud to let you know that the leadership of India and Pakistan was unwavering and powerful, but unwavering in both cases – they really were from the standpoint of having the strength and the wisdom and fortitude to fully know and to understand the gravity of the situation. And we helped a lot, and we also helped with trade.”

Praising himself for leveraging trade to end the standoff between the two nuclear-armed neighbours, the US president said: “I said, Come on, we are going to do a lot of trade with you guys. Let’s stop it, let’s stop it. If you stop it, we’re doing trade. If you don’t stop it, we’re not going to do any trade. People have never really used trade the way I used it. By that, I can tell you, and all of a sudden they said. I think we’re gonna stop, and they have.”

“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,” he added.

India and Pakistan were on the brink of a full-fledged war before Trump, on Saturday afternoon, announced on social media that the two countries have agreed to a “full and immediate ceasefire.”

Shortly after his announcement, the governments of India and Pakistan confirmed that they have reached an understanding on a ceasefire.

While the Pakistani side praised Trump for his leadership, the Indian statement didn’t mention any US mediation and stated that the truce was agreed upon after the Pakistani military reached out to their Indian counterparts.

However, Trump’s announcement of the ceasefire on behalf of the Government of India triggered a political storm in the country, with the Opposition Congress slamming the BJP-led NDA regime for allowing US mediation and demanding a special session of the parliament.

The fact that Trump also offered to mediate on the “dispute” over Kashmir made things even embarrassing for the government as the Opposition questioned whether it allowed the violation of the 1972 Simla agreement, which states that disputes between India and Pakistan will be resolved bilaterally without the intervention of any third country.

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