US President Donald Trump cites South Asia as example in peace record

Washington: Marking one year since his return to the White House, President Donald Trump presented the India-Pakistan confrontation as one of several international flashpoints he said were defused under his leadership, as he renewed criticism of global institutions and pressed his case as a deal-driven peacemaker.

Speaking at a packed White House media availability, Trump said he had helped settle eight conflicts in a short span, repeatedly returning to South Asia as an illustration of what he described as decisive intervention.

"I settled eight wars," he said, placing India and Pakistan alongside other disputes he claimed to have helped end. New Delhi has firmly stated that there was no third-party role in ending the conflict between India and Pakistan last year.

Referring to tensions between New Delhi and Islamabad, Trump claimed the two sides were "really going at it" and suggested the situation risked spiralling out of control. "Eight planes shot down. They were going to go nuclear in my opinion," he claimed.

Trump added that Pakistan's prime minister had personally credited him with preventing mass casualties. "The prime minister of Pakistan was here, and he said President Trump saved 10 million people and maybe much more than that," he said. "They're both nuclear countries."

Trump argued that the India-Pakistan episode underscored the stakes involved in his foreign policy approach. "When you look at India and Pakistan, that could have been 10, 15, 20 million people," he claimed, portraying the crisis as emblematic of what he called high-risk situations requiring rapid, leader-level engagement.

The president linked those claims to broader complaints about international institutions, particularly the United Nations. "The UN should have settled every one of the wars that I settled," Trump said, adding that he did not rely on multilateral processes. "I never even thought to go to them. I got the presidents and prime ministers together."

Trump recently announced plans for a new "Board of Peace," suggesting it could play a more effective role in resolving conflicts. (IANS)

Also Read: US President Donald Trump shares Macron, NATO Chief's private texts amid Greenland row