Executive Summary
The Story So Far
Why This Matters
Who Thinks What?
President Donald Trump asserted on Tuesday that he has “ended seven un-endable wars,” during an address to the United Nations, a claim that has drawn scrutiny given that some of the conflicts were not active and others remain unresolved or disputed. His remarks come as two major conflicts he has actively sought to mediate—Israel’s war in Gaza and Russia’s war on Ukraine—continue without resolution.
During his UN speech, Trump specified the conflicts he claimed to have brought to a close: Cambodia and Thailand, Kosovo and Serbia, the Congo and Rwanda, Pakistan and India, Israel and Iran, Egypt and Ethiopia, and Armenia and Azerbaijan. He stated that these wars were “raging, with countless thousands of people being killed.”
Trump has consistently reiterated this claim since earlier this summer, with the White House providing a list of the seven alleged bilateral agreements last month. While he has played a role in brokering some agreements, his involvement in securing ceasefires in other conflicts he boasts about ending has been challenged by countries involved, and some of the conflicts were not ongoing when he claims to have resolved them.
The Claimed Resolutions Under Scrutiny
Armenia and Azerbaijan
Trump hosted the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan at the White House in August, where they finalized a peace agreement initially announced five months prior. The two former Soviet republics have been in conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh for nearly four decades. Both Armenia’s Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev praised Trump’s role in reaching the deal, despite his later public confusion of Armenia with Albania and Azerbaijan with “Aberbaijan.” The agreement, however, has not yet been ratified by either country, and significant issues, such as Azerbaijan’s demand for Armenia to change its constitution, remain unresolved.
Cambodia and Thailand
Decades of border disputes between Thailand and Cambodia have led to intermittent violence. The most recent flare-up in July resulted in at least 38 deaths and displaced hundreds of thousands. Trump held separate phone calls with leaders of both nations, threatening to halt trade negotiations if a ceasefire was not agreed upon. A ceasefire was reached within days, and Cambodia’s Prime Minister Hun Manet subsequently nominated Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize, though the underlying border conflict remains unresolved.
Israel and Iran
Trump announced a ceasefire between Israel and Iran in June after 12 days of fighting, a statement that initially appeared premature as hostilities continued. Both nations later endorsed the ceasefire. The direct confrontation began with Israeli strikes on Iranian military and nuclear facilities, followed by Iranian missile and drone attacks on Israeli targets. While Trump initially opposed direct Israeli attacks, the US later joined in bombing Iran’s main nuclear facilities. Trump’s precise role in ending the violence remains unclear, and no comprehensive peace agreement or firm deal on Iran’s nuclear program has been reached, with both sides continuing to issue threats.
India and Pakistan
In May, India and Pakistan engaged in their most intense conflict in decades after India launched missile strikes in Pakistan in response to a massacre in Indian-administered Kashmir, which India attributed to Pakistan. Trump announced on social media that the US had brokered an end to the fighting. Pakistan credited US involvement and nominated Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize, citing “decisive diplomatic intervention.” India, however, downplayed Trump’s role, stating the ceasefire was agreed “directly between the two countries,” consistent with its long-standing resistance to foreign intervention on the Kashmir issue.
Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo
A peace agreement between the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Rwanda, brokered by the US in June, was hailed by Trump as “a Great Day for Africa and, quite frankly, a Great Day for the World!” However, evidence suggests the conflict, one of the world’s most protracted, shows little sign of easing. Numerous militia groups continue deadly fighting, and a UN Human Rights Office report from the same week detailed an escalation of hostilities in eastern DR Congo between January and July 2025.
Egypt and Ethiopia
The assertion that Trump ended a war between Egypt and Ethiopia is puzzling, as the two nations are not, and were not, at war. They are, however, embroiled in a bitter dispute over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), which Ethiopia recently opened. Ethiopia views the dam on a Nile tributary as crucial for its economic prosperity. Egypt and Sudan oppose the dam, fearing its impact on downstream water availability, with Egypt asserting colonial-era treaty rights to veto Nile projects.
Serbia and Kosovo
This is another contentious entry on Trump’s list. Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008, following a NATO bombing campaign against Serbian forces. While Serbia and Kosovo signed an economic normalization agreement during Trump’s first term in 2020, Serbia continues to view Kosovo as a breakaway state and does not recognize its independence. Tensions between the two persist, with the European Union actively mediating their disputes.
Evaluating the Claims
While President Trump takes credit for ending “seven un-endable wars,” a closer examination reveals a more nuanced reality. His involvement ranged from hosting peace talks to threatening trade sanctions, and in several cases, the underlying conflicts remain unresolved, were not actively raging, or involved disputes rather than direct warfare. This contrasts with the ongoing conflicts in Gaza and Ukraine, which he has actively sought to end but have seen no signs of easing despite his efforts.
