Trump claims he threatened to cut trade with India, Pakistan to force ceasefire

US President Donald Trump has claimed that he pressured India and Pakistan into accepting a ceasefire over the weekend by threatening to cut off trade with both countries.

He said: “I said, come on, we’re going to do a lot of trade with you guys. Let’s stop it. Let’s stop it. If you stop it, we’ll do a trade. If you don’t stop it, we’re not going to do any trade."

He said this while talking to reporters at the White House on Monday.

“And all of a sudden they said, ‘I think we’re going to stop,’” he continued, crediting trade leverage for influencing both nations’ decisions. “For a lot of reasons, but trade is a big one,” he added.

Trump claimed his intervention helped avert what he believes could have escalated into a nuclear conflict between the two countries.

“We stopped a nuclear conflict. I think it could have been a bad nuclear war. Millions of people could have been killed,” he said.

He also confirmed that the US will “do a lot of trade” with both countries, adding that negotiations with India are ongoing while talks with Pakistan will begin shortly.

Trump also said he was proud of the way both countries handled the crisis, “I’m 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.”