President Donald Trump has once again offered to mediate the long-standing Kashmir dispute between India and Pakistan, asserting his ability to help resolve the issue.
Speaking on Thursday, Trump reiterated his willingness to support both countries in reaching a peaceful resolution to the conflict, echoing similar sentiments expressed by the US State Department the previous day. This renewed offer comes after Trump played a role in brokering a ceasefire following a recent, particularly dangerous military standoff between India and Pakistan.
Trump told reporters after signing a bill into law that he “stopped a war” between Pakistan and India, emphasizing the severity of the situation. He explained, “Eventually they were gonna go nuclear… and I stopped it. I called each leader… and I spoke to them and talked about trade.”
He described his approach: “I said, ‘You’re not trading with us if you go to war… if you’re going to start throwing nuclear weapons around.’ They were both unbelievable. They understood it exactly, they stopped. I stopped that war with phone calls and trade.”
Trump commended both leaders for showing restraint and pledged continued support for peace efforts. “I will work with both of you to see if, after a ‘thousand’ years, a solution can be arrived at concerning Kashmir,” he stated. He added, “We’re going to get them together. I told them, India and Pakistan… they have a longtime rivalry over Kashmir. I told them ‘I can solve anything.'”
In response to a question, Trump confidently declared, “I will be your arbitrator. I will be your arbitrator. I can solve anything.”
Earlier in the week, State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce, when asked about potential US actions, highlighted President Trump’s history of bringing together unlikely parties for negotiations. She expressed optimism that a breakthrough on Kashmir could be achieved, noting Trump’s unique ability to “bring certain people to the table to have conversations that nobody thought was possible.”
The Kashmir region remains a highly contested and volatile area, serving as a potential trigger for conflict between the two nuclear-armed nations for over seven decades.