Trump estimates 5 jets were downed in India-Pakistan conflict

Malavika Kaur Makol, Bloomberg News on Jul 19, 2025

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U.S. President Donald Trump said five jets may have been shot down during the recent India-Pakistan conflict, and reiterated that his administration used trade pressure to broker a ceasefire between the two sides, a claim New Delhi had repeatedly rejected.

“These are two serious nuclear countries and they were hitting each other,” Trump said in a dinner speech to U.S. lawmakers on Friday. “I think five jets were shot down, actually,” he said, without elaborating.

“We said, you guys want to make a trade deal. We’re not making a trade deal if you’re going to be throwing around weapons, and maybe nuclear weapons,” he said.

India’s military had previously confirmed to Bloomberg News that it had lost an unspecified number of fighter jets in clashes with Pakistan in May, while saying they never came close to the point of nuclear war. Anil Chauhan, chief of defense staff of the Indian Armed Forces, also called Pakistan’s claims that it shot down six Indian warplanes “absolutely incorrect,” though he declined to specify how many were lost.

Trump’s repeated statements that trade pressure was used to clinch the ceasefire could add strain to relations between Washington and New Delhi. Last month, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi disputed the narrative in a 35-minute phone call with the U.S. leader, only for Trump to repeat it hours later.

The U.S. president’s comments will also pose a challenge for Modi in the Indian Parliament session beginning Monday, the first since the conflict with Pakistan. Jairam Ramesh, a leader of the main Indian National Congress opposition party, has demanded Modi address Trump’s claims in Parliament.