A recent phone call between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump touched upon an unexpected flashpoint: the recent India-Pakistan conflict, a Kremlin aide said on Wednesday. According to Yury Ushakov, a senior advisor to Putin, the conflict was “stopped with the personal participation of President Trump.““They also touched upon the Middle East and the armed conflict between India and Pakistan, which was stopped with the personal participation of President Trump,” Ushakov said, as reported by Russia’s state-run TASS news agency. However, Ushakov offered no details of Trump’s involvement or timing.Trump claims credit, India cites military diplomacyTrump has in the past taken credit for de-escalating South Asia tensions, particularly during his presidency. However, India has consistently maintained that the cessation of hostilities was the result of direct military dialogue. Officials confirmed that the Directors General of Military Operations (DGMOs) of both nations coordinated the ceasefire following cross-border exchanges in early May.The recent skirmish began after a deadly terror attack in Pahalgam, prompting India to carry out precision strikes on terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir on May 7. Pakistan responded with aerial aggression over the next three days, targeting Indian military bases, but was met with strong retaliation. A mutual understanding to halt operations was reportedly reached on May 10 via DGMO-level talks.Pakistan seeks Putin’s help, India gets diplomatic backingIn a parallel development, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif sent a letter to President Putin seeking Russia’s involvement in diffusing tensions. The letter was delivered by Sharif’s aide Syed Tariq Fatemi during a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Moscow on Tuesday.“We are ready to sit down with them at the negotiating table,” Fatemi said, expressing Islamabad’s desire for Russian-led diplomacy.But India has been busy building a contrasting narrative in Moscow. Days before Fatemi’s visit, a multi-party Indian parliamentary delegation led by DMK MP Kanimozhi Karunanidhi received “solid Russian support” for India’s zero-tolerance policy against Pakistan-sponsored terrorism, sources said.The rare moment of diplomatic shadowboxing in Moscow underlines the lingering mistrust between India and Pakistan, and the global interest in containing a regional crisis with nuclear stakes.
