US President Donald Trump said Wednesday he hosted Pakistan Army chief General Asim Munir at the White House to thank him for “not going into the war” with India. Speaking to reporters after their lunch meeting, Trump said the visit was meant to acknowledge Munir’s role in stopping a potential nuclear conflict.
“Reason I had him here was I wanted to thank him for not going into the war and ending it,” Trump said.
Trump claimed the India-Pakistan ceasefire declared on May 10 was a result of smart diplomacy. He added that both countries—armed with nuclear weapons—“decided not to keep going with the war.”
This is not the first time Trump has taken credit for brokering peace between the two rivals. Over the past month, he has repeatedly said that the US mediated the ceasefire between India and Pakistan after tensions spiked following the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, which killed 26 people in Jammu and Kashmir.
India responded with Operation Sindoor, striking what it said were terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. The conflict lasted four days, with intense cross-border missile and drone strikes before both sides agreed to stop.
Trump now says that moment of de-escalation was thanks to the US.
“Two very smart people decided not to keep going with the war. Those are two big nuclear powers,” he added, referring to India and Pakistan.
He also mentioned they discussed Iran, a country Trump claimed “Pakistan understands better than most.”
However, India has denied any US role. According to India’s Ministry of External Affairs, the ceasefire happened after direct talks between the two countries’ director generals of military operations (DGMOs). There was no third-party mediation, India insists.
Meanwhile, Pakistan has publicly thanked the US, suggesting Washington did play a role behind the scenes.
Adding to the drama, a White House spokesperson said Munir had earlier called for Trump to be nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize for “preventing a nuclear war.” That endorsement may have helped secure the lunch invite.
This is the first high-profile military meeting Trump has hosted since returning to the White House.
The diplomatic tug-of-war over credit is not new. But in this case, it involves a terror attack, cross-border strikes, and the specter of nuclear conflict. Trump’s version? He saved the world from war. India’s version? They handled it themselves.
