
Wed May 21 19:42:44 UTC 2025: Here’s a summary and a news article version of the provided text:
**Summary:**
U.S. President Donald Trump has again claimed to have brokered peace between India and Pakistan following the Pahalgam terror attack, suggesting trade was a key factor. He made these remarks during a meeting with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa. However, the Indian government maintains that the U.S. was not involved in or informed about the ceasefire. Trump also spoke about attempting to resolve the Russia-Ukraine war and praised both the Pakistani leader and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
**News Article:**
**Trump Claims Credit for India-Pakistan Ceasefire, India Denies U.S. Involvement**
**Washington D.C. -** U.S. President Donald Trump reignited a diplomatic controversy on Wednesday by asserting that he “settled” recent hostilities between India and Pakistan following the deadly attack in Pahalgam last month. Speaking during a bilateral meeting with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, Trump implied that trade negotiations were instrumental in achieving the ceasefire.
“If you take a look at what we did with Pakistan and India…we settled that whole…and I think I settled it through trade,” Trump stated, further noting ongoing trade discussions with India.
However, the Indian government has vehemently denied any U.S. mediation. Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri informed a Parliamentary panel earlier this week that Washington was “neither involved nor informed” regarding the cessation of hostilities. When questioned about Trump’s initial announcement of the ceasefire, Misri characterized conversations with the U.S. as routine diplomatic exchanges.
Despite the Indian denial, Trump elaborated on the situation, saying, “Somebody had to be the last one to shoot. But the shooting was getting worse and worse, bigger and bigger, deeper and deeper into the countries.” He also added, seemingly in jest, “I hate to say we got it settled, and then two days later, something happens, and they say it’s Trump’s fault.”
Trump described both the leader of Pakistan as “great” and Prime Minister Narendra Modi as “a great guy,” noting that he and Ramaphosa considered Modi a “mutual friend”. The U.S. President also touched upon his efforts to resolve the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal held bilateral talks with U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick to expedite the first phase of a trade agreement with the U.S.
The conflicting narratives from Washington and New Delhi have raised questions about the true nature of U.S. involvement, if any, in de-escalating tensions between the two nuclear-armed neighbors.