"Trump Was Directly Involved": US Doubles Down On India-Pak Peace Claims
The United States got "directly involved" when India and Pakistan were involved in a military conflict earlier this year, claimed US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
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Rubio claimed the US is "seeking additional peace initiatives - particularly the major one involving Ukraine and Russia"
Washington:
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has asserted that the United States, with President Donald Trump's direct involvement, intervened in a military conflict between India and Pakistan earlier this year. This statement reinforces previous US claims that President Trump prevented war between the two nuclear-armed South Asian neighbors.
During an interview with EWTN's 'The World Over' on Thursday, Rubio emphasized Trump's dedication to peace and his role as the "president of peace".
"When conflict erupted between India and Pakistan, we intervened directly, and the president successfully facilitated peace," Rubio stated.
The Secretary of State enumerated other conflicts where President Trump allegedly helped broker peace, expressing American pride in these diplomatic efforts.
"Recent examples include Cambodia and Thailand; Azerbaijan and Armenia, hopefully...DRC (Democratic Republic of Congo)-Rwanda - a conflict spanning 30 years with 7 million casualties - we brought them here to sign an agreement," Rubio noted.
He mentioned that the US is "seeking additional peace initiatives - particularly the major one involving Ukraine and Russia".
India Refutes Trump's AssertionsSince May 10, Trump has consistently claimed that he "helped settle" tensions between India and Pakistan by informing both nations that America would engage in "substantial trade" with them if they ended the conflict.
India has dismissed these assertions, maintaining that the ceasefire resulted from negotiations between the Indian and Pakistani military establishments without US mediation.
In a recent address to the Lok Sabha (India's lower house of parliament), Defence Minister Rajnath Singh declared it "entirely inaccurate and unfounded to suggest that military operations ceased due to external pressure".
"India terminated its operation because all pre-determined political and military objectives had been completely achieved," he explained.
Singh also stated that the decision followed a request from Pakistan's Director General of Military Operations (DGMO), who "appealed for relief".
Is Trump Retaliating Against India?A South Asia expert has suggested that Trump targeted India with substantial tariffs on its exports to the US because New Delhi refused to acknowledge his role in the ceasefire. Michael Kugelman, director of the South Asia Institute at the Wilson Center, spoke to ANI following Trump's announcement of an additional 25 percent tariff on Indian exports, bringing the total to 50 percent.
"China hasn't publicly contradicted President Trump regarding his claimed role in the ceasefire. China's leadership hasn't engaged in lengthy phone conversations with Trump to correct his understanding. These situations occurred with India," he remarked.
New Delhi has consistently maintained that its Russian oil purchases are necessary for its energy security, and has described the US tariffs as "unfair, unjustified, and unreasonable". The Ministry of External Affairs expressed that it was "extremely unfortunate" that the US imposed additional tariffs on India for actions that numerous other countries, including China, are also taking.