US President Donald Trump on Monday expressed his willingness to defuse the latest tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan following deadly border clashes over the weekend, declaring that he is “good at making peace.”
Fighting broke out late Saturday and continued into Sunday morning along the frontier. According to Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), 23 Pakistani soldiers were martyred, while Islamabad’s retaliatory action left about 200 Taliban and allied militants dead.
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One en route to Israel, where a prisoner-hostage swap between Tel Aviv and Hamas is due to begin under Washington’s Gaza peace initiative,Trump hinted that he might intervene in the regional dispute once back in Washington.
“I hear there’s fighting going on between Pakistan and Afghanistan,” Trump said. “I told my team I’ll handle it when I return, because I’m good at ending wars and I’m good at making peace. It’s an honour to save lives.”
The US president, who began his second term in January, has often cited his role in resolving global conflicts as proof that he deserves the Nobel Peace Prize. “This will be my eighth war I’ve managed to solve,” he said, referencing the Gaza deal praised by both Democrats and Republicans.
When asked about the Nobel Peace Prize being awarded to Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, Trump said, “They gave it for 2024, but some people say they could’ve made an exception because a lot of things I’ve done in 2025 are already completed, and done very well. But I didn’t do it for the Nobel. I did it to save lives.”
Trump went on to recall his past mediation efforts, including claims of helping to cool tensions between India and Pakistan. “Think about India-Pakistan, they had wars going on for decades, some for over 30 years,” he said. “I got each of those settled, mostly within a day. That’s pretty good.”
He added that some conflicts were resolved through economic leverage rather than diplomacy. “With India and Pakistan, I said, if you want to fight and you’ve got nukes, I’ll hit you both with tariffs, 100%, 150%, even 200%. It was settled in 24 hours. Without tariffs, you’d never end that war,” he claimed.
Trump has repeatedly taken credit for mediating the brief but intense clash between India and Pakistan earlier this year, which followed Pahalgam attack, an incident India blamed on Pakistan without presenting evidence. Islamabad dismissed the allegation as fabricated and politically motivated.
During the four-day conflict, both countries exchanged fire using aircraft, missiles, and drones, leaving dozens dead before a ceasefire was reached. Pakistan claimed to have downed six Indian fighter jets, including Rafales, while India acknowledged “some losses” but denied the number of jets reported by Islamabad.