Daijiworld Media Network - New York
New York, Sep 23: US President Donald Trump delivered a meandering and controversial speech at the UN General Assembly's high-level session on Tuesday, reigniting familiar claims of global peacemaker status while attacking both adversaries and allies.
Among his more striking assertions was that he had ended the "violent war that was Pakistan and India" — a statement swiftly contradicted by the known facts and previously dismissed by India.
“I ended seven wars, and in all cases, they were raging, with countless thousands of people being killed,” Trump declared. He included the India-Pakistan conflict in that list, despite New Delhi maintaining that the de-escalation in 2021 was a direct outcome of military-level dialogue between the two nations, without U.S. mediation.
According to Indian officials, the peace gesture came after a call from Pakistan’s director general of military operations (DGMO), Major General Kashif Abdullah, to his Indian counterpart, Lt. Gen. Rajiv Ghai, proposing a ceasefire — an initiative that had no connection to the Trump administration.
Trump, in his remarks, also lamented not receiving the Nobel Peace Prize, pointing to what he called a lack of recognition for his peacemaking efforts, including between Israel and Iran — though no peace agreement exists and tensions persist between the two nations.
Accuses India, China of Backing Russia
In a sharp pivot to current global conflicts, Trump accused India and China of indirectly financing Russia’s war in Ukraine, claiming they were purchasing Russian energy and thereby fueling the conflict.
While India has faced a 25% U.S. tariff under Trump's policies, he warned European and NATO allies of possible punitive action unless they joined the U.S. in adopting stricter economic measures against Moscow.
“In the event that Russia is not ready to make a deal to end the war, then the United States is fully prepared to impose a very strong round of powerful tariffs, which would stop the bloodshed, I believe, very quickly,” he said. “But for those tariffs to be effective, European nations... would have to join us.”
He criticized NATO members for not doing enough to curb Russian energy imports, stating, “Think of it — they're funding the war against themselves.”
UN Under Fire
Trump didn’t spare the United Nations either, accusing the global body of standing idly by during conflicts he claimed to have resolved alone.
“It's too bad that I had to do these things instead of the United Nations doing them,” he said. “And sadly, in all cases, the United Nations did not even try to help.”
His point was punctuated by technical glitches — a failed teleprompter and a malfunctioning escalator — which forced him into largely off-script remarks that veered from policy to personal grievances.
Trump speech highlighted both his combative international stance and his ongoing quest for recognition on the world stage — even if the facts, and diplomacy, say otherwise.