WASHINGTON, Aug 18: The United States monitors the situation between India and Pakistan “every single day,” US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said, as per media reports today.
He reiterated assertions made by President Donald Trump, who claimed to have played a role in preventing nuclear escalation between the two Asian neighbours.
Speaking to NBC News, Rubio said truce deals can fall apart quickly as maintaining them is a challenge.
India has maintained that the military conflict with Pakistan ended in May through a ceasefire sought by Islamabad after suffering heavy damage. Pakistan, however, echoed Trump’s claim, giving the US leader credit for gaining his attention.
“One of the complications of ceasefires is maintaining them, which is very difficult. Every single day, we are keeping an eye on what is happening between Pakistan and India,” Rubio said.
In the context of the Russia-Ukraine truce deal, he stated, “The only way to achieve a ceasefire is for both sides to agree to cease hostilities. However, the Russians have yet to consent to that.”
“Ceasefires can fall apart very quickly, especially after a three-and-a-half-year war (in Ukraine) like what we’re facing now, but I don’t think anyone disagrees that the ideal here, what we’re aiming for, is not some permanent ceasefire. What we’re aiming for here is a peace deal so there’s not a war now and there’s not a war in the future,” Rubio added.
In a subsequent interview with Fox Business, Rubio once more referenced the recent conflict between India and Pakistan, a situation that President Donald Trump has frequently asserted he has resolved.
“And I think we are very fortunate and blessed and should be thankful to have a President who has made peace and the achievement of peace a priority of his administration. We’ve seen it in Cambodia and Thailand. We’ve seen it in India-Pakistan. We’ve seen it in Rwanda and the DRC. And we’re going to continue to pursue any opportunities we can find to bring about peace in the world,” Rubio said.
Since May 10, former President Donald Trump has frequently touted his role in defusing tensions between India and Pakistan, claiming that his intervention led to a “full and immediate” ceasefire following a “long night” of negotiations facilitated by Washington.
Repeating the assertion nearly 40 times, Trump has emphasised that he offered both nuclear-armed nations the prospect of enhanced trade with the United States as an incentive to halt hostilities. His statements have sparked debate, raising questions about the accuracy of his claims and the actual extent of US involvement in the peace effort.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said in Parliament that no leader of any country asked India to stop Operation Sindoor. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has categorically said there was no third-party intervention in bringing about a ceasefire with Pakistan during Operation Sindoor, asserting that the halting of the military action was also not linked to trade, as claimed by Trump.
On the day of his summit meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday, Trump repeatedly claimed that he had halted the conflict between India and Pakistan and also discussed India’s purchases of Russian oil.
(UNI)
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