U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday (February 19, 2026) mentioned he had threatened to place 200% tariffs on India and Pakistan in the event that they did not cease the combating final summer time, reiterating the declare that he stopped the struggle between the 2 nuclear-armed neighbours.
Mr. Trump repeated the declare that he stopped eight wars inside the first 12 months of his second time period within the White Home as he addressed an occasion of the Board of Peace in Washington.
India has persistently denied any third-party intervention.
Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif attended the occasion together with leaders of the opposite nations who’ve signed as much as be a part of the Trump-led organisation.
As he addressed the occasion, Mr. Trump listed the conflicts he helped finish and requested leaders of the international locations to face up as he talked about the nations.
Additionally Learn | Trump claims once more that he stopped struggle between India, Pakistan
Mr. Trump requested Mr. Sharif to face up after which mentioned, “I spoke to Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi. He is excited. He is watching us proper now.”
“Pakistan and India. That was a giant one. I believe it’s best to truly stand, come please stand only for a second. Pakistan and India. Thanks very a lot,” Mr. Trump mentioned.
As he spoke about ending the struggle between India and Pakistan final summer time, Mr. Trump mentioned he likes Mr. Sharif and the nation’s Subject Marshal and Chief of Defence Forces Asim Munir, whom he referred to as a “nice man”.
“…There was some combating happening once I received to know him (Mr. Sharif) and your Subject Marshal Basic. Nice, Nice Basic. Nice Subject Marshal, an ideal man,” he mentioned.
Mr. Trump repeated the assertion that Mr. Sharif had claimed he saved “25 million lives” when he stopped the struggle between India and Pakistan.
Earlier, Mr. Trump had claimed that Mr. Sharif mentioned he had saved 10 million lives by ending the battle between the 2 nations.
“You made that assertion,” Mr. Trump mentioned to Mr. Sharif. “I mentioned 25 million lives, may have been far more truly, but it surely was actually a ravishing factor…. That struggle was raging. Planes had been being shot down, and it was Pakistan and India.
“And I received on the telephone with each of them, and I knew him (Mr. Sharif) slightly bit. I knew Prime Minister Modi very nicely, truly. I received to know Pakistan by slightly commerce. They had been making an attempt to make too good a deal, and I might get slightly upset with them. And ultimately, they received what they wished, proper? And so they made a very good deal, and I received to love them, the Prime Minister, the Subject Marshal, who’s a tricky man, a tricky good fighter, severe fighter. I like good fighters, truly,” Mr. Trump mentioned.
“And once I heard that they had been combating, I choose up a sure newspaper.… and I noticed that Pakistan and India had been actually going at it. After which it received worse and worse, and… many planes had been shot down. It was all out. And I referred to as them, I mentioned, ‘Hear, I am not doing commerce offers with you two guys, in the event you do not settle this up’. They mentioned, ‘No, no, no’,” Mr. Trump mentioned, including that neither of the 2 international locations wished to try this.
Learn | Pakistan and India, they had been going at it, I ended the struggle: Trump
“I mentioned, ‘No, it has to. When you do not do it, I am not doing a commerce deal. We’re not doing a commerce deal’,” he added.
“And so they do a whole lot of enterprise with america, they usually kind of softened up hastily. And hastily, I learn the place there was slightly little bit of a pullback by one, then the opposite, and hastily, we labored out a deal. However I mentioned, ‘When you struggle, I’ll put 200% tariffs on every of your international locations’,” which basically would have meant that they might not have performed any enterprise with the U.S.
“One among them, I will not say which one, mentioned, ‘No, cannot try this’. They each wished to struggle. However when it got here to cash, nothing like cash. When it got here to shedding some huge cash, they mentioned, ‘I suppose we do not wish to struggle’. And we solved that deal in two-three days.”
“And we did. We mentioned these are two very highly effective, two nuclear nations. And I do not wish to say what was going to occur, however, you already know, dangerous issues occur. So, Prime Minister, I wish to thanks, as a result of that was a really huge deal. Folks don’t know. Numerous them say, ‘Oh, nicely, they weren’t combating’. They had been combating, 11 jets had been shot down, very costly jets, they usually had been all in. Each of them had been all in, and now they don’t seem to be.”
“And I believe we’ll at all times be capable to settle up with them. I actually do. I believe… a whole lot of progress was made, even within the relationship. And Prime Minister Modi additionally is a good man. He is an ideal man. They’re all nice, however I used to be very happy with it.”
He, nevertheless, didn’t specify which nation’s jets he was referring to.
Mr. Trump has claimed credit score for stopping the India-Pakistan battle greater than 80 occasions since Could 10 final 12 months, when he introduced on social media that the 2 neighbours had agreed to a “full and instant” ceasefire after talks mediated by the US.
India launched Operation Sindoor on Could 7 final 12 months, focusing on terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir in retaliation for the April 22 Pahalgam assault that killed 26 civilians.
India has been persistently sustaining that the understanding on cessation of hostilities with Pakistan was reached following direct talks between the Administrators Basic of Navy Operations (DGMOs) of the 2 militaries.
Revealed – February 20, 2026 01:22 am IST
