Trump Claims Credit for India-Pakistan Mediation, Says He's Working to End Ukraine War

Addressing the 56th Annual Summit of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, the US President stated that he has also been working for the past year to bring an end to the Russia-Ukraine war and further claimed that he also helped resolve the long-running conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

"I've now been working on this war (Russia-Ukraine) for one year, during which time I settled eight other wars: India, Pakistan. Vladimir Putin called me; he said, 'I can't believe you settled that one (Armenia-Azerbaijan).' They were going on for 35 years. I settled in one day," Trump said.

The US President had been repeating his claims of playing a key role in helping de-escalate tensions between India and Pakistan, arguing that trade and tariffs were instrumental to the US in preventing conflicts.

India has consistently refuted Trump's claims, stating that the ceasefire was achieved bilaterally through the Director Generals of Military Operations (DGMOs), without third-party involvement.

India has also reiterated its long-standing position that any issues with Pakistan, including those related to Jammu and Kashmir, are to be resolved bilaterally between the two countries.

The US President, during his address, also questioned what Washington gains from its global diplomatic and security efforts, criticising allies, particularly Europe and NATO, for what he described as a lack of appreciation.

"What does the United States get out of all of this work? All of this money, other than death, destruction and massive amounts of cash going to people who don't appreciate what we do. They don't appreciate what we do. I am talking about NATO; I'm talking about Europe," he said.

Trump, taking aim at NATO and European countries, reiterated his long-standing criticism over their defence spending.

"Until I came along, NATO was only supposed to pay 2 per cent of GDP, but they weren't paying. Most of the countries weren't paying anything. The United States was paying for virtually 100 per cent of NATO," he said.

Claiming credit for increased defence contributions, Trump added, "I got NATO to pay 5 per cent, and now they are paying."

Trump's remarks are consistent with his previous assertions about reshaping US foreign policy and burden-sharing among allies, particularly in the context of the Ukraine conflict and transatlantic security arrangements.

- ANI