Trump Calls India “A Great Country” with “A Good Friend at the Top”; Praises Modi and Sharif Alike as He Claims Role in Ending India-Pakistan Hostilities
In a dramatic shift in tone, US President Donald Trump on Monday heaped praise on India and its leadership, calling it “a great country with a very good friend of mine at the top,” in what appeared to be a reference to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
His remarks came during a world leaders’ summit in Sharm el-Sheik, Egypt, following the Israel-Hamas ceasefire that marked the formal end of the two-year-long Gaza conflict.
Speaking before a gathering of over 20 heads of state, Trump projected a new phase of optimism in South Asia, declaring, “I think India and Pakistan are going to live very nicely together.”
The comment drew a moment of amusement when Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, standing just behind Trump, smiled and nodded in response.
A Sudden Diplomatic Turnaround
The American president’s warm words for India marked a noticeable departure from his earlier criticism of New Delhi’s trade policies and defense posture.
For much of the past year, Trump had been vocal about what he called India’s “unfair trade practices” and reluctance to support certain U.S.-led global initiatives.
However, observers believe the recent regional peace breakthroughs, along with the strategic significance of India’s stabilizing role in South Asia, have prompted a recalibration in Trump’s stance.
His decision to praise Modi publicly — albeit without naming him — signals a shift from confrontation to cooperation.
Analysts suggest several possible reasons behind this shift:
Ceasefire Diplomacy Success: The India-Pakistan truce, brokered indirectly by Washington, has bolstered Trump’s self-image as a peacemaker — a narrative he is keen to amplify globally.
Strategic Realignment: With China’s regional influence growing and the U.S. election season nearing, Trump appears eager to showcase strong ties with India, a key democratic partner in the Indo-Pacific
Economic Leverage: Ongoing discussions between Washington and New Delhi on trade normalization, defense technology sharing, and tariff reduction have also created diplomatic goodwill.
Global Optics: With the Gaza ceasefire hailed as a personal diplomatic win, Trump is now seeking to extend his image as a global mediator — particularly in Asia.
“Trump’s tone has clearly softened towards India,” said a senior diplomatic observer.
“He seems to have realized that New Delhi’s partnership is indispensable in both strategic and economic contexts. The rhetoric now reflects pragmatism more than personality.”
Trump’s “Peace Broker” Narrative
During his address, Trump lauded both Indian and Pakistani leaderships, crediting them for their “restraint” during the four-day military escalation earlier this year.
He described the de-escalation as part of a “collective global effort for peace.”
Turning to Shehbaz Sharif, Trump said, “India is a great country with a very good friend of mine at the top… and I think Pakistan and India are going to live very nicely together.”
In response, the Pakistani Prime Minister praised Trump’s mediation role, calling him “instrumental in restoring peace” not only in the Middle East but also in South Asia.
“Pakistan had nominated President Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize for his extraordinary efforts to stop the war between India and Pakistan and later to bring a ceasefire in Gaza,” Sharif said, adding that he intended to nominate Trump again for the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize.
Trump’s Expanding List of “Resolved Conflicts”
After failing to secure the Nobel Peace Prize earlier this year, Trump reiterated that he was “not in this for awards,” but to “save lives.”
He now claims to have resolved eight international conflicts, including the India-Pakistan standoff, up from seven previously acknowledged.
The latest addition to his self-proclaimed list is the Israel-Gaza ceasefire.
Since May 10, when Trump announced that India and Pakistan had agreed to a “full and immediate” ceasefire following “a long night of talks mediated by Washington,” he has repeatedly claimed credit for facilitating peace between the two nuclear-armed neighbors.
However, India has consistently rejected this characterization, maintaining that the ceasefire understanding was achieved directly between the Directors General of Military Operations (DGMOs) of the two countries, without any third-party mediation.
Operation Sindoor and the Path to Ceasefire
The escalation that preceded the truce began with Operation Sindoor, launched by India on May 7, following the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 civilians.
Indian forces targeted terror infrastructure deep inside Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) through a series of drone and missile strikes.
After four days of retaliatory attacks from both sides, intense backchannel communication between New Delhi and Islamabad led to the May 10 agreement to cease hostilities.
While the U.S. may have facilitated diplomatic communication indirectly, India’s official stance remains that the resolution was the result of bilateral military dialogue, not foreign intervention.
A Calculated Charm Offensive?
Trump’s newfound praise for India — after months of criticism and trade pressure — reflects a strategic repositioning rather than sentimentality.
With the Indo-Pacific emerging as the central theatre of geopolitical competition and China’s assertiveness rising, Washington sees New Delhi as a vital counterbalance.
Moreover, Trump’s statements at the summit align with his broader campaign narrative of being a “deal-maker” and “global peacemaker.”
Political analysts view his outreach to both Modi and Sharif as part of a dual-image strategy: strengthening ties with India while maintaining leverage over Pakistan — both crucial to American interests in Asia.
Domestically, Trump’s comments also come amid growing U.S. concerns about energy prices, migration pressures, and trade disruptions, all of which require smoother ties with key Asian partners.
His comments may also be aimed at improving America’s diplomatic footprint ahead of his re-election bid, especially among the influential Indian-American community.
Global Reactions
Diplomatic reactions to Trump’s remarks were mixed. Indian officials offered no formal response, though government sources privately underscored that India’s foreign policy remains autonomous and “not dependent on external validation.”
Meanwhile, Pakistani media widely celebrated Sharif’s public praise for Trump, with commentators describing it as “a rare moment of harmony” between Islamabad and Washington.
International analysts, however, viewed Trump’s remarks as part of his personal narrative-building rather than a reflection of tangible diplomatic progress.
“Trump’s words carry symbolic weight, but India’s strategic outlook remains guided by its own interests,” said an EU diplomat familiar with South Asia affairs.
🇮🇳 For India, Symbolism but No Shift
For New Delhi, Trump’s statement is seen less as a policy breakthrough and more as a symbolic gesture that aligns with its current diplomatic momentum.
India’s recent assertive stance on regional security, its expanding defense partnerships, and its steady economic performance have reshaped how global leaders approach it — including Trump, who now seems eager to appear aligned with Modi’s success story.
As one senior Indian official remarked off-record, “Trump’s praise doesn’t change our calculus — but it does reaffirm that India has become too big to ignore.”
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