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Watch: Trump claims threat of 200% tariffs pressured India and Pakistan into ceasefire
At the inaugural Board of Peace meeting, Trump discussed his peace efforts and reflected on brokering a ceasefire during the escalating India-Pakistan tensions in May 2025
- PUBLISHED: Fri 20 Feb 2026, 10:32 AM
During his speech at the first meeting of the Board of Peace on February 19, US President Trump discussed the escalating tensions between India and Pakistan.
He said he picked up a newspaper to check what was happening between the two countries as the situation worsened.
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"They were really going at it," he said. "Then it got worse and worse; many planes were shot down. It was all out."
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Trump continued, "I called them, 'Listen, I’m not doing trade deals with you two guys if you don’t settle this up.' " Initially, both countries resisted. "They said no, no, no, no. They do a lot of business with the US," Trump recalled. "They sort of softened up, pulled back a little, and we worked out a deal."
He added, "I told them I’m going to put 200% tariffs on each of their countries. It essentially doesn’t allow them to do any business."
In the end, Trump said, "One of them said no, no; they both wanted to fight, but when it came to money, when it came to losing a lot of money, they said we don’t want to fight. And we solved that deal."
Watch Trump as he talks about it:
PRESIDENT TRUMP on ending the war between INDIA and PAKISTAN:
— Department of State (@StateDept) February 19, 2026
I told them I'm going to put 200% tariffs on each of their countries. It essentially doesn't allow them to do any business. When it came to losing money, they said we don't want to fight. And we solved that deal. pic.twitter.com/gM4J7s1oHT
Trump was referring to the peak tensions between Pakistan and India in May 2025.
On May 7, India launched 'Operation Sindoor', striking nine locations in Pakistan that it claimed were linked to terrorist infrastructure. The operation came in response to a militant attack on April 22 in Pahalgam, Jammu & Kashmir, which killed 26 people; India blamed Pakistan, though Pakistan denied any involvement.
In retaliation, Pakistan struck multiple Indian military bases, including a missile storage site, on May 10.
The two countries exchanged shelling and missile fire, causing alarm both locally and internationally.
After four days of escalating conflict, Donald Trump brokered a “full and immediate ceasefire".
Both nations claimed to have achieved their objectives in what became their worst confrontation since 1999, without acknowledging significant losses.
The Board of Peace is Trump's new institution focused on progress in Gaza but whose ambitions reach much further. The "Board of Peace" came together after the Trump administration, teaming up with Qatar and Egypt, negotiated a ceasefire in October to halt two years of devastating war in Gaza.
Trump told the inaugural meeting of his Board of Peace on Thursday that countries had pledged $7 billion to a Gaza reconstruction fund, intended to rebuild the enclave once Hamas disarms, a goal that remains distant.
Key issues, including the disarmament of Hamas, the withdrawal of Israeli forces, the scale of the reconstruction fund, and the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza’s war-affected population, are expected to challenge the board’s effectiveness in the coming months.
The Washington meeting occurred as part of Trump’s broader effort to cultivate a reputation as a peacemaker, potentially bolstering his case for a Nobel Peace Prize.
It also coincided with heightened US tensions with Iran, as Washington threatens military action and has launched a major buildup in the region if Tehran refuses to abandon its nuclear programme.
Inputs from Reuters and AFP
