Trump Claims Gaza Ceasefire as Eighth War Resolution Under His Administration

Trump asserted that the Gaza ceasefire represents the eighth war concluded during his administration.

Washington:

US President Donald Trump conducted a Cabinet meeting at the White House on Thursday morning, following his announcement that the "first phase" of the Gaza ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas would soon commence.

During the meeting, Trump emphasized his administration's efforts in resolving global conflicts, stating that seven wars had been terminated during his presidency and identifying the initial phase of the Gaza ceasefire agreement as "number eight."

"We settled seven wars, or major conflicts, but wars. And this is number eight. And the one that I thought would be maybe the quickest of all would be Russia-Ukraine. I think that's going to happen, too. But in the meantime, they're losing about 7,000 people a week, and that seems pretty bad...That war should never have happened. It would have never happened if I were President," he declared.

His comments mirrored statements made earlier on September 23 at the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly, where he claimed achieving what many considered impossible within seven months of his presidency.

Trump proclaimed that he had resolved seven "unendable" wars and reiterated his assertion of facilitating a truce between India and Pakistan earlier this year.

"In just seven months, I have ended seven unendable wars," Trump informed world leaders. "They said they were unendable, some were going for 31 years, one was 36 years. I ended seven wars, and in all cases they were raging with countless thousands of people being killed."

The US President enumerated conflicts he claimed were concluded under his leadership, mentioning Cambodia and Thailand, Serbia, the Congo and Rwanda, Pakistan and India, Israel and Iran, Egypt and Ethiopia, and Armenia and Azerbaijan.

Trump has consistently connected his statements at the UNGA with remarks made earlier in Washington. On September 21, while addressing the American Cornerstone Institute Founder's Dinner, he again maintained that he played a role in "stopping wars," including between India and Pakistan, suggesting he deserved the Nobel Prize for "ending seven wars."

"We are forging peace agreements, and we are stopping wars. So we stopped wars between India and Pakistan, Thailand and Cambodia," Trump stated at the event.

Elaborating on his claim, he added, "Think of India and Pakistan. Think of that. And you know how I stopped that -- with trade. They want to trade. And I have great respect for both leaders. But when you take a look at all of these wars that we've stopped."

At the same gathering, Trump listed conflicts he said were halted under his leadership, including "Armenia, Azerbaijan, Kosovo and Serbia, Israel and Iran, Egypt and Ethiopia, Rwanda and the Congo."

"Just look at that. India, Pakistan, Thailand, Cambodia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Kosovo and Serbia, Israel and Iran, Egypt and Ethiopia, Rwanda and the Congo. We stopped all of them. And 60 per cent of them were stopped because of trade," he declared.

He further asserted that his pressure had been decisive. "Like with India, I said, 'Look, we're not going to do any trade if you're going to fight and they have nuclear weapons. They stopped.'"

Regarding the Ukraine conflict, Trump connected it to his broader claim of being a peacemaker. "I said, 'Well, what about the seven others? I should get a Nobel Prize for each one'. So they said, 'but if you stop Russia and Ukraine, sir, you should be able to get the Nobel'. I said I stopped seven wars. That's one war, and that's a big one," he told the audience.

Trump indicated he initially believed the conflict would be easier to resolve due to his relationship with Moscow. "Because I have a good relationship with President Putin, disappointed in him, but I do. I thought that would be the easiest one, but we'll get it done one way or the other," he stated.

He suggested energy prices were directly connected to ending the war. "... That (oil drilling) will automatically stop the war with Russia and Ukraine; you get the prices down a little bit more, that's got to stop it. I am very disappointed in President Putin. Anywhere between 5000-7000 people are dying every week..."

Reiterating his criticism of Moscow, Trump said the Russian president had not met expectations. "He has let me down. I mean, he's killing many people and he's losing more people than he's, you know, than he's killing. I mean, frankly, Russian soldiers are being killed at a higher rate than the Ukrainian soldiers," Trump remarked at a press conference with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

The President acknowledged limitations to his influence, conceding, "Even though I thought that the Russia-Ukraine war would be the 'easiest' one to solve, it was not the case."

He maintained, however, that the war would not have started had he been in office. "This was a thing that would have never happened had I been president. If I were president, it would have never happened. And it didn't happen for four years. Most people agree it didn't happen, nor was it close to happening," he asserted.

Trump also recalled previous diplomatic efforts, referencing his summit with Putin in Alaska, where he encouraged the Russian leader to engage directly with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Despite those efforts, he noted, "a peace deal did not materialize," and the conflict, which began with Moscow's annexation of Crimea in 2014, intensified further.

The war has continued since then, with Russia launching a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, aiming to "demilitarize and denazify" the country, according to President Vladimir Putin. Fighting has persisted through 2024 and 2025, with Ukrainian counteroffensives alongside Russian advances in Donetsk and Luhansk. In August 2024, Ukraine initiated an incursion into Russia's Kursk Oblast, capturing territory and prisoners.