(Image source from: Indianexpress.com)
The situation between India and Pakistan is watched closely by the United States "every single day," according to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Sunday. He backed President Donald Trump's statements about helping prevent a nuclear conflict between the two neighboring countries in Asia. In an interview with NBC News, Rubio noted that agreements to stop fighting can quickly break down, as it is challenging to keep them in place. India has insisted that its military challenges with Pakistan came to an end in May due to a ceasefire requested by Islamabad after sustaining significant losses. Conversely, Pakistan supported Trump's assertion, giving him credit for his involvement.
"One of the challenges with ceasefire agreements is that they are tough to uphold. Every day, we are monitoring the situation between Pakistan and India," Rubio explained. While discussing the ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine, he mentioned, "Both parties have to agree to stop fighting for a ceasefire to work. The Russians have not agreed to that yet."
"Ceasefires can quickly collapse, especially after a long conflict like the three-and-a-half-year war in Ukraine. However, I believe everyone agrees that our goal is not just a temporary ceasefire. What we truly wish for is a peace agreement to prevent current and future wars," Rubio continued. In a different conversation with Fox Business, Rubio again referred to the recent issues between India and Pakistan that Trump has claimed to have resolved. "We are fortunate and grateful to have a President who prioritizes peace. We have seen this in Cambodia and Thailand and in India-Pakistan. We have witnessed it in Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. We will keep looking for chances to create peace globally," Rubio said.
Since May 10, when Trump stated on social media that India and Pakistan had agreed to a "full and immediate" ceasefire after "long conversations" facilitated by the US, he has repeated his assertion around 40 times that he "helped resolve" the issues between India and Pakistan, mentioning he told both nations that America would engage in "a lot of trade" with them if they ended the conflict. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has remarked in Parliament that no foreign leader requested India to halt Operation Sindoor. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has firmly stated that there was no outside mediation in achieving a ceasefire with Pakistan during Operation Sindoor. He clarified that the cessation of military actions was not linked to trade, as Trump suggested. On the day of his summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Trump reiterated his claim several times within hours, stating that he stopped the war between India and Pakistan and also discussed Delhi's purchases of Russian oil.
"Take a look at India. Consider India and Pakistan. They were already attacking planes, and it could have possibly led to nuclear conflict. I believed it would escalate to nuclear involvement, and I claimed I could resolve it. First priority is life, and after that comes everything else. Wars are harmful, and if you can prevent them, I seem to have the skill to stop them, to bring people together; I rely on the power of the United States," Trump stated. In contrast, to gain favor, Islamabad has been aligning itself with the US, acknowledging Trump for the peace agreement with India. Since that time, Pakistan's Army Chief Asim Munir has traveled to the US on two occasions, with Washington revealing an oil agreement with Islamabad.
