Trump again says he helped ‘settle’ India-Pak tension

US President Donald Trump has yet again repeated his claim of having got "things settled" between India and Pakistan, while adding that five or six planes were "shot down" during the recent skirmish between the two neighbours.

Trump did not specify whether the jets were lost by either of the two countries or if he was referring to the combined losses by both sides.

Speaking about the India-Pak skirmish at the White House on Friday, Trump said, “They were shooting planes out of the sky… five or six planes got shot down in their last little skirmish, and then it was going to escalate from there.” He said it could have turned into a "nuclear conflict".

Notably, Air Chief Marshal AP Singh in Bengaluru said on Saturday that the IAF had shot down five Pakistan air force fighter jets and a surveillance plane.

Trump made the comments flanked by Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev and Armenia's Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan after they inked a US-brokered peace agreement during a trilateral signing ceremony.

"As President, my highest aspiration is to bring peace and stability to the world. Today's signing follows our success with India and Pakistan."

Asserting that he was settling conflicts through trade, Trump said, “I got things settled with India and Pakistan. I think it was trade more than any other reason. That's how I got involved."

Trump referred to the conflict between India and Pakistan twice during his remarks at the event, adding them to the nearly 35 previous occasions where he has claimed that he stopped the war between the two countries through trade.

India has consistently maintained that the understanding on cessation of hostilities with Pakistan was reached following direct talks between the DGMOs of the two militaries.

New Delhi had categorically denied Trump’s claims on trade being used as bait to stop the skirmish.