‘President Trump Wants De-Escalation as Quickly as Possible’: White House on India-Pakistan Conflict

New York: The White House announced Friday that President Donald Trump is eager to see tensions between India and Pakistan reduce “as quickly as possible” amid escalating military actions.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt made these remarks as hostilities intensified following India’s “Operation Sindoor,” which targeted nine terrorist installations across Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) early Wednesday. The Indian operation came in response to the April 22 Pahalgam massacre that claimed 26 lives, predominantly tourists.

“The President has expressed he wants to see this de-escalate as quickly as possible. He understands these are two countries that have been at odds with one another for decades, long before President Trump was here in the Oval Office,” Leavitt stated during the briefing.

Responding to questions about American mediation efforts, Leavitt noted, “This is something that the Secretary of State and, of course, now our national security advisor as well, Marco Rubio, has been very much involved in.”

She highlighted that Trump “has good relationships” with leadership from both nations, adding that Rubio maintains “constant communication with the leaders of both countries, trying to bring this conflict to an end.”

On Thursday, US Secretary of State Rubio conducted separate discussions with Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. During these conversations, Rubio emphasized the necessity for de-escalation and reiterated calls for Pakistan to implement concrete measures to terminate any support for terrorist organizations.

In his exchange with Rubio, Jaishankar affirmed that India would decisively counter any Pakistani attempts to intensify the situation.

(With PTI inputs)