Trump claims to have ended eight wars during first year of presidency - here's the truth

By now, we've all heard Donald Trump bragging about how many wars he's 'ended' during his presidency - but is it really true?

According to recent remarks by the 79-year-old Republican leader, the number currently stands at a whopping eight conflicts he claims to have brought to a close.

In a new letter sent to Norway's leader, Jonas Gahr Støre, amid his ongoing efforts to controversially 'take' Greenland, Trump doubled down on the statistic.

Addressing the Norwegian Prime Minister directly, the letter, which was obtained by PBS, reads: "Dr Jonas: Considering your Country decided not to give me the Nobel Peace Prize for having stopped 8 Wars PLUS, I no longer feel an obligation to think purely of Peace, although it will always be predominantly, but can now think about what is good and proper for the United States of America."

It comes after Trump was actually handed the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize, not by winning it, but by it being gifted by last year's winner - by the way, the Norwegian Nobel Committee do not recognise this as legitimate.

It continued: "Denmark cannot protect that land from Russia or China, and why do they have a 'right of ownership' anyway? There are no written documents, it's only that a boat landed there hundreds of years ago, but we had boats landing there, also.

"I have done more for NATO than any other person since its founding, and now, NATO should do something for the United States."

He concluded his message with: "The World is not secure unless we have Complete and Total Control of Greenland. Thank you! President DJT."

But how much of Trump's whole 'eight wars' claim is actually legitimate? Let's take a look.

Israel and Hamas

The latest addition to his list of wars Trump claims to have ended is the two-year conflict between Israel and Hamas.

In October 2025, the Trump administration brokered a ceasefire after two years of deadly conflict. But, as per the Independent, the agreement has been criticised as a 'ceasefire in name only' due to continued fatalities and Hamas regrouping.

Palestinians are continuing to be killed over 'ceasefire violations' alleged by Israel and as reported by the publication, 400 Palestinians and three Israeli soldiers have been reported killed since the ceasefire came into play.

Israel and Iran

Trump has also been credited with ending a 12-day war which broke out between Israel and Iran last June, negotiating a ceasefire after bombing Iranian nuclear sites.

Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said at the time: "Because of decisive military action, President Trump created the conditions to end the war, [while also] decimating – choose your word – obliterating, destroying, Iran's nuclear capabilities."

However, the publication reports that Trump was considering 'renewed strikes' after Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu briefed him that Iran was reconstituting its nuclear programme. Israel has also warned that it could strike Iran again if it feels threatened.

Pakistan and India

Tensions between Pakistan and India have been ongoing for years, but hostilities broke out in May last year following an attack in Indian-administered Kashmir.

After four days of strikes, Trump claimed that India and Pakistan had agreed to a 'FULL AND IMMEDIATE CEASEFIRE; after 'a long night of talks mediated by the United States'.

Although Pakistan thanked Trump, India downplayed the involvement of the US and as per the BBC, Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said: "The talks regarding cessation of military action were held directly between India and Pakistan under the existing channels established between both militaries."

There have also been debates over whether this was a 'full-blown war'.

Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo

Tensions between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo escalated earlier last yearr when M23 rebels, allegedly backed by Rwanda, seized a mineral-rich area in eastern DRC. Rwanda, however, denies supporting the group.

In June, foreign ministers from both countries signed a deal at the White House reaffirming a 2024 ceasefire agreement and Trump hailed it as peace in 'one of the worst wars anyone’s ever seen'. M23 was not part of the talks and has rejected the deal.

Since then, fighting has continued, and by the end of last year M23 held more territory in the eastern DRC than ever before, as per the Independent, and this month the DRC blamed the rebels for 1,500 deaths.

Thailand and Cambodia

Border disputes have long caused tension between Thailand and Cambodia and conflict erupted in May of last year when the two countries’ armed forces fired at each other in a small 'no man’s land' area that was claimed by both. It sparked weeks of fighting with dozens killed and nearly a million people reportedly displaced.

Officials from both countries credited Trump with pushing them to a ceasefire in July and a more detailed October agreement followed.

However, the fighting again broke out in early December before a new ceasefire was signed on 27 December.

Armenia and Azerbaijan

For decades, Armenia and Azerbaijan have fought over Nagorno-Karabakh, which is a region historically home to ethnic Armenians.

The latest fighting erupted in September 2023, when Azerbaijan seized the territory and effectively annexed the region, expelling its majority Armenian population, prompting allegations of ethnic cleansing.

On 8 August, a peace deal was announced at the White House, which included agreements on reopening key trade routes and a commitment to a peace treaty, however they still need to be ratified.

This month, Radio France Internationale reported that a framework had been published after Armenian officials met US secretary of state Marco Rubio.

A deal will reportedly give Washington a 74 per cent stake in a company that will build roads, rail, energy and digital infrastructure.

Egypt and Ethiopia

As reported by The Independent, White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt has included Egypt and Ethiopia in Trump's list of solved conflicts.

The two countries have have been locked in dispute over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) on the Nile.

The dam, which has been operational since 2022, is vital for Ethiopia’s energy needs, with Egypt arguing it threatens its water supply.

However, talks collapsed in late June, prompting Trump to announce on social media that the US would 'solve the dispute soon'.

There's been no physical confrontation and it's also unclear what Trump’s role has been.

Serbia and Kosovo

Finally, in June, Trump claimed to have prevented a conflict between Serbia and Kosovo.

He said: "Serbia, Kosovo was going to go at it, going to be a big war. I said you go at it, there's no trade with the United States. They said, well, maybe we won't go at it."

A per the BBC, the two countries signed economic normalisation agreements in the Oval Office with Trump in 2020, however they were not at war at the time.

Margaret MacMillan, a professor of history who taught at the University of Oxford, told the broadcasting corporation: "Serbia and Kosovo haven't been fighting or firing at each other, so it's not a war to end."