Trump praises PM Shehbaz Sharif and Chief of the Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir
US President Donald Trump speaks during the ASEAN-US Summit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, October 26, 2025. PHOTO: REUTERS
NEW DELHI:
US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday he prevented a war between India and Pakistan this year by threatening both nations with 250% tariffs, the highest he has mentioned on any country.
“If you look at India and Pakistan … they were going at it,” Trump said at the Asia-Pacific summit in South Korea. “Seven planes were shot down. They were really starting to go.”
Trump said he called Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Pakistan’s leaders to say that Washington would halt trade and impose the massive tariffs if the fighting that briefly flared up in May continued.
“I said I was going to put 250% on each country, which means you’ll never do business … That’s a nice way of saying we don’t want to do business with you,” Trump said, to applause from the audience, as he referred to trade deals with several Asian countries in a speech.
After literally two days, they called up and said, ‘We understand’, and they stopped fighting,” he said.
The US president once again praised both Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) Field Marshal Asim Munir while reiterating his role in ending a four-day conflict between Pakistan and India in May.
“I’m doing a trade deal with India and I have great respect and love as you know for Prime Minister Narendra Modi, as you know. We have a great relationship,” he said.
“Likewise, the prime minister of Pakistan is a great guy, and the Field Marshal – they have a Field Marshal. You know why he’s a Field Marshal? He’s a great fighter. He really is. He’s a great guy too.
“And so I know them all. And I’m reading that seven planes were shot down – they’re going at it and they’re really starting to go, and it’s a big thing. These are two nuclear nations and they’re really going at it,” Trump said.
The US president went on to say that he called Modi and said: “We can’t make a trade deal with you. ‘No, no, we must make a trade deal’. I said, “No we can’t. You’re starting a war with Pakistan, we’re not gonna do it.”
He added that he then had a similar conversation with Pakistan’s leadership. “I said, ‘We’re not gonna do trade with you because you’re fighting with India’.
“And they said, ‘No no no… you should let us fight’. They both said that. You know, they’re warring. They’re strong people.”
Trump then called Modi the “nicest looking guy”, and proceeded to do an impression of the Indian leader while adding that “he’s a killer” and “tough as hell”.
“But after a while — and they’re good people — and after literally two days, they called up and they said, ‘We understand’. And they stopped fighting. How is that? Isn’t that amazing?
