India and Pakistan have a nice dinner together to ease longstanding tensions, says Trump

PTC Web Desk: US President Donald Trump, during a high-profile address at the US-Saudi Investment Forum on Saturday, painted himself as a peacemaker and humorously proposed that India and Pakistan "have a nice dinner together" to ease longstanding tensions between the two nuclear-armed neighbors.

The forum, attended by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Tesla CEO Elon Musk, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Vice President JD Vance, became the backdrop for Trump’s claims of facilitating a significant diplomatic breakthrough between New Delhi and Islamabad.

Trump reiterated that his administration had helped prevent a potential nuclear conflict through strategic trade diplomacy. “Just days ago, my administration successfully brokered a historic ceasefire to stop escalating violence between India and Pakistan,” he said. “I used trade to a large extent. I said, fellas, come on. Let’s make a deal. Let’s do some trading. Let’s not trade nuclear missiles—let’s trade the things you make so beautifully.”

Highlighting the leaders of both countries, Trump added, “They both have very strong, smart leaders. And it all stopped. Hopefully, it’ll remain that way.”

While India and Pakistan did confirm a ceasefire agreement on May 10—following heightened military tensions after the April 22 Pahalgam attacks—New Delhi firmly stated that the talks were held at the military level and not under foreign mediation. India reiterated its long-standing position that issues with Pakistan would be resolved bilaterally, without third-party involvement.

Despite this, President Trump maintained his narrative of having played a key role. “I think they’re actually getting along. Maybe we can even get them together a little bit, Marco, where they go out and have a nice dinner together. Wouldn’t that be nice?” Trump said during the forum, referencing Secretary Rubio.

Trump praised Vice President JD Vance, Rubio, and others involved in the talks, calling it a “great, great job,” and expressed pride in the administration’s role in de-escalating the situation. “We’ve come a long way, and millions could have died in that conflict that started small and kept growing,” he remarked.

Earlier attempts by Trump to mediate the Kashmir dispute had been firmly declined by India, which has repeatedly emphasised that all bilateral matters, including Kashmir, would be handled without external intervention.

The US President is currently on a diplomatic tour of the Middle East, with stops in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Israel.