Subhechcha Ganguly 
India has firmly denied any connection between trade negotiations and the recent ceasefire understanding with Pakistan, contradicting US President Donald Trump’s assertion that trade played a key role in halting hostilities between the two nuclear-armed neighbors.
President Trump, speaking to the media at the White House, described the cessation of hostilities between India and Pakistan as a “historic event” and claimed his administration played a significant role in brokering peace by leveraging trade. “We’re going to do a lot of trade with you guys, let’s stop it. If you stop it, we’re doing trade. If you don’t, we’re not doing any trade,” he said, adding that the US had used trade in a way “people have never really used before.”
However, Indian officials have rejected these claims, stating that trade did not feature in any recent discussions with US counterparts regarding the crisis. According to sources familiar with the matter, there was “no reference to trade” in conversations between Indian leaders and US officials, including Vice President JD Vance’s call with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on May 9, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s talks with External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and National Security Adviser Ajit Doval on May 8 and 10.
The ceasefire, announced on May 10 following four days of intense military exchanges including drone and missile strikes, was publicly revealed first by President Trump. However, Indian authorities have emphasized that the agreement to cease hostilities was reached bilaterally between the Directors General of Military Operations (DGMOs) of India and Pakistan, independent of any trade-related discussions.
The military escalation was triggered by India’s launch of Operation Sindoor on May 7, targeting terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan-controlled territories in retaliation for the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack. Despite Trump’s claims, Indian officials maintain that all de-escalation efforts were handled through military and diplomatic channels, without trade being used as leverage.
