India’s Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar has denied claims that India and Pakistan were close to using nuclear weapons during their recent border tensions between May 7–10.
In an interview with German newspaper Faz, Jaishankar said, “We were very, very far from using the nuclear option. At no point was a nuclear level reached.” He expressed concern that people often assume every conflict in the region could lead to nuclear war, which he said encourages terrorism.
His statement also counters US President Donald Trump’s claim that he prevented a nuclear war between the two countries.
Jaishankar explained that India only targeted terrorist camps and took very careful and limited actions. He said Pakistan then fired at India, and India responded by disabling some of their air defence systems. The firing stopped after Pakistan requested it.
The minister also blamed Pakistan for openly supporting terrorism, saying it is backed and run by the state and military.
When asked about China’s role, Jaishankar noted that many of Pakistan’s weapons are Chinese and the two countries are very close.
He said the peace was agreed directly between Indian and Pakistani military officials, not through US involvement.
On India’s continued relationship with Russia despite Western sanctions, Jaishankar said that every country sees conflict differently. “Europe thinks of Ukraine, but we think of Pakistan, terrorism, China, and our borders,” he said.
He questioned Western concerns about border rules by asking, “What about my borders?”—referring to violations by Pakistan and China.
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