External affairs minister S Jaishankar spoke with United States secretary of state Marco Rubio on Saturday morning and said India’s approach has always been “measure” and “responsible” and remains so. The call came amid rising military tensions between India and Pakistan as the US seeks to de-escalate the situation.
“Had a conversation with US @SecRubio this morning. India’s approach has always been measured and responsible and remains so,” he said in a post on X.
Track live updates of India-Pakistan military conflict here.
According to a statement from the US Department of State, Marco Rubio reiterated his stance that both nations should identify ways to de-escalate the ongoing situation during the call.
Rubio also extended US’s support in facilitating “productive discussions” between India and Pakistan to avoid future disputes.
“Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke with Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar. Secretary Rubio emphasized that both sides need to identify methods to de-escalate and re-establish direct communication to avoid miscalculation. He further proposed U.S. support in facilitating productive discussions to avert future disputes,” the statement read.
Also read: Pakistan moving troops to forward areas, shows intent to escalate tensions: India
Earlier, Rubio had called Jaishankar on Thursday too and had expressed condolences for the 26 people who died in the devastating terror attack in Kashmir’s Pahalgam on April 22. He had also reaffirmed the United States’ commitment to work with India in the fight against terrorism during that call.
Marco Rubio speaks with Pakistan minister, army chief
In a bid to de-escalate the ongoing military conflict between India and Pakistan, Rubio also spoke with Pakistan’s deputy Prime Minister and foreign minister Ishaq Dar and their army chief Asim Munir and made a similar appeal to both of them.
The United States has taken a strictly balanced approach in the India-Pakistan conflict, maintaining that both countries are US friends and urging both sides to bring the conflict to an end.
Marco Rubio is actively engaging in talks with the leaders of both India and Pakistan ever since the conflict escalated rapidly in the last two days.
During the early hours of Wednesday, India launched precision strikes on nine terror bases in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (Pok) under ‘Operation Sindoor’. The operation was launched to avenge the deaths of people in the Pahalgam terror attack.
Ever since, the military conflict between India and Pakistan has escalated, with both countries exchanging air strikes.
