While sitting beside Ukrainian President Volodmyr Zelensky in the Oval Office, Donald Trump once again boasted of ending “six wars” in as many months – without negotiating a single ceasefire.
“If you look at the six deals that I settled this year, they were all at war. I didn’t do any ceasefires,” Trump said before turning to Zelensky, adding: “I don’t think you need a ceasefire.”
Since his trip to Scotland last month, Trump has repeated multiple times a version of his claim that he’s ended wars “at about one a month,” according to PolitiFact. Earlier Monday, the president posted on Truth Social that in one case, he had averted a “possible unclear disaster.”
During an interview on Fox & Friends on Tuesday morning, Trump alluded to ending “seven wars.” The president did not elaborate on which conflict he was now including in his list. The Independent has reached out to the White House for clarification on Trump’s claims.
The White House has lauded Trump as the “peacemaker-in-chief,” and the president has styled himself as the “president of peace.” Meanwhile, the commander-in-chief has openly signalled his ambitions of winning a Nobel Peace Prize despite campaigning on a largely non-interventionist platform.
Are Trump’s claims of halting hostilities credible or an embellishment of the truth? The Independent takes a closer look at the president’s peacemaking record.
Approximately three days after launching Operation Midnight Hammer, Trump told NATO leaders that his administration “just ended a war in 12 days that was simmering for 30 years.”
On June 23, the major Iranian uranium enrichment sites, Fordow and Natanz, and the research base of Isfahan faced a wave of U.S. bunker buster bombs and Tomahawk cruise missiles, which Trump claimed left the facilities “obliterated.”
The U.S. intervened in the conflict on June 21 after Israel launched a surprise attack eight days earlier on Iranian nuclear facilities, missile strikes, and military infrastructure. Iran responded with a wave of missile and drone strikes at Israeli army bases and cities.
On June 23, Trump declared on Truth Social that Israel and Iran had reached a “Complete and Total CEASEFIRE,” which was mediated by the U.S.
While Trump’s actions against Iran’s nuclear program may have curtailed immediate strikes, it is not possible to claim to have secured lasting peace, with tensions in the region remaining high.
The brief but deadly military exchange between India and Pakistan that began on May 7 reignited long-standing tensions over the disputed region of Kashmir.
It drew a surprise offer of mediation from Trump, who said he could help find a “solution” to the Himalayan region that is claimed by both nations.
“We also appreciate President Trump’s expressed willingness to support efforts aimed at the resolution of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute,” said the Pakistani government.
