Washington DC / New Delhi: Former US President Donald Trump has claimed that 4 to 5 fighter jets were shot down during the India-Pakistan hostilities in May 2025, reigniting debate over the scale of the brief but intense conflict. Trump also repeated his earlier assertion that the US helped mediate the ceasefire between the two nuclear-armed nations by using “trade” as leverage.
Trump made the remarks at a dinner with Republican lawmakers at the White House.
“In fact, planes were being shot out of the air. Five, five, four or five, but I think five jets were shot down actually,” he said.
However, Trump did not clarify whether the jets were Indian or Pakistani.
Following the May 10 ceasefire, Air Marshal AK Bharti had said Indian forces had shot down several “high-tech” Pakistani jets, but did not disclose exact figures. On the other hand, Pakistan denied major losses, admitting only one aircraft suffered “minor damage”.
In contrast, Pakistan claimed to have shot down six Indian fighter jets, including Rafale aircraft.
But Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan dismissed Pakistan’s claims. He acknowledged that some fighter jets were lost, without revealing numbers.
“What is important is not the jet being down, but why they were being downed… What mistakes were made — that is important. Numbers are not important,” General Chauhan said.
Meanwhile, Trump repeated his controversial claim of brokering peace between India and Pakistan.
“India and Pakistan were going at it… and we got it solved through trade,” he stated.
This contradicts Indian government sources. Prime Minister Narendra Modi reportedly told Trump during a phone call that the US had no role in brokering the ceasefire, and trade was not discussed during the conflict.
This is not the first time Trump has made such a claim. In the past too, he has often said his administration played a key role in “preventing war” between India and Pakistan — a statement India has repeatedly denied.
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