New Delhi will be keeping a close eye on the US midterm election results, in which the Democrats handed Donald Trump’s Republican Party a heavy defeat. The results are on expected lines, though the margin exceeded forecasts, which had favoured Democrats to win both the House of Representatives and the Senate.
President Trump used social media to claim credit for the Operation Sindoor ceasefire shortly after 5.30 pm IST on May 10, 2025. The Quad summit, which India was to host in 2025, has yet to take place. The army chief wanted time till 5 pm so that he could inform his battle formations, which were in the heat of battle. *In the meantime, Pakistan informed Washington of the ceasefire agreement, and, seizing the opportunity, President Trump went on social media before India could make its announcement.
Besides, the Trump administration has threatened India with huge tariffs for buying Russian oil, and then itself struck a deal with Russia to buy diesel ahead of the midterms. The constant pressure on H1B visas and Indian student visas also distanced New Delhi from Washington. The ceasefire claim was one of the biggest irritants. He later claimed that he had virtually stopped the war from escalating to a nuclear dimension. New Delhi maintained it was Islamabad that sought a ceasefire amid an Indian offensive While Pakistan praised President Trump for the ceasefire and recommended him for the Nobel Peace Prize. The facts are as follows: *After the ceasefire was agreed, external affairs minister S Jaishankar asked foreign secretary Vikram Misri to announce it immediately after informing the Indian army chief. The US has been helping Pakistan mitigate its economic crisis while routinely parroting the anti-terrorism line with India.
President Trump has sided with Pakistan’s Field Marshal Asim Munir, claimed credit for the Operation Sindoor ceasefire between New Delhi and Islamabad, and once called India a “dead economy” (subsequently, he praised India’s growth story earlier this year during a TV interview).
