United States President Donald Trump on Monday claimed that he pressured India and Pakistan into accepting a ceasefire by threatening to stop trade with both countries.

Trump reiterated the claim that it was his administration that brokered a “full and immediate ceasefire” between India and Pakistan.

“…I think a permanent one [ceasefire], ending a dangerous conflict of two nations with lots of nuclear weapons,” Trump told reporters at the White House. “They were going at it hot and heavy, and it was seemingly not going to stop.”

The US president said: “I’m very proud to let you know that the leadership of India and Pakistan was unwavering and powerful, but unwavering in both cases – they really were from the standpoint of having the strength and the wisdom and fortitude to fully know and to understand the gravity of the situation.”

“We helped a lot with trade,” Trump said. “I said, come on, we’re going to do a lot of trade with you guys. Let’s stop it. Let’s stop it.”

He added: “If you stop it, we’ll do a trade. If you don’t stop it, we’re not going to do any trade.”

“And all of a sudden they said, ‘I think we’re going to stop,’” Trump said. “For a lot of reasons, but trade is a big one.”

The US president said that Washington will “do a lot of trade” with New Delhi and Islamabad.

“I think we stopped a nuclear conflict,” Trump said. “I think it could have been a bad nuclear war. Millions of people could have been killed.”

On Saturday, India and Pakistan agreed to stop all firing.

India’s Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri had said at the time that the Pakistani director general of military operations had called his Indian counterpart at 3.35 pm on Saturday to propose an end to the skirmishes.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi reiterated this position in his address to the nation on Monday.

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The announcement by the Indian foreign secretary came minutes after Trump claimed on social media that India and Pakistan had agreed to the ceasefire. He had claimed that the ceasefire talks were mediated by Washington.

“After a long night of talks mediated by the United States, I am pleased to announce that India and Pakistan have agreed to a FULL AND IMMEDIATE CEASEFIRE,” Trump had said on social media. “Congratulations to both countries on using common sense and great intelligence. Thank you for your attention to this matter!”

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio had claimed on social media that New Delhi and Islamabad had agreed to “start talks on a broad set of issues at a neutral site”.

“We commend Prime Ministers [Narendra Modi] and [Shehbaz] Sharif on their wisdom, prudence, and statesmanship in choosing the path of peace,” Rubio said.

However, the Indian Ministry of Information and Broadcast had said that the decision to stop the firing was “worked out directly between the two countries”.

“There is no decision to hold talks on any other issue at any other place,” the ministry added.

The tensions had escalated on May 7 when the Indian military carried out strikes – codenamed Operation Sindoor – on what it claimed were terrorist camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.

The strikes were in response to the terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam, which killed 26 persons on April 22.

The Pakistan Army retaliated to Indian strikes by repeatedly shelling Indian villages along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir.

On Sunday, the Indian military claimed that more than 100 terrorists were killed in the strikes on May 7.

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