US President Donald Trump has said that tariffs have given Washington diplomatic and negotiating strength while reiterating his claim of stopping the conflict between India and Pakistan. Trump was speaking to reporters as he left for the Middle East on Sunday for the release of hostages from Gaza after brokering a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas.
“Tariffs have given us diplomatic and negotiating strength. I settled a few wars just based on tariffs. For example, between India and Pakistan. I said, If you guys want to fight a war and you have nuclear weapons, I am going to put big tariffs on you both, like 100 per cent, 150 per cent, and 200 per cent,” he said.
"I said I am putting tariffs. I had that thing settled in 24 hours. If I didn't have tariffs, you could have never settled that war," he added.
{{/usCountry}}"I said I am putting tariffs. I had that thing settled in 24 hours. If I didn't have tariffs, you could have never settled that war," he added.
{{/usCountry}}Notably, India has repeatedly rejected Washington’s claim that Trump helped broker a ceasefire between New Delhi and Islamabad.
Ever since the announcement of the ceasefire, Trump has repeatedly claimed that he helped stop the conflict between the two neighbouring countries. New Delhi has maintained that the truce was achieved through direct talks between the Indian and Pakistani militaries, rejecting Trump’s claims of mediation.
Trump on Afghanistan-Pakistan conflict
The US President also said that he could take up the conflict between Pakistan and Afghanistan after his return, since he is “good at solving wars.”
"This will be my eighth war that I have solved, and I hear there is a war now going on between Pakistan and Afghanistan. I said, I'll have to wait till I get back. I am doing another one. Because I am good at solving wars," Trump said.
Repeating his claim of resolving long-standing disputes, including between India and Pakistan, Trump said that it was an “honour” to have helped solve wars and save lives through his peace efforts.
"It's an honour to do it. I saved millions of lives. In all fairness to the Nobel Committee, it was for 2024. This (Nobel Peace Prize) was picked for 2024. But there are those who say you could make an exception because a lot of things happened during 2025 that are done and complete and great. But I did not do this for the Nobel. I did this for saving lives," he added.
This comes after Trump’s hopes for the Nobel Peace Prize were shattered on Friday as the award was presented to Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado.