New Delhi: United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated on Sunday that the US monitors developments between Pakistan and India “every single day”.
Speaking on the difficulties of establishing and maintaining a ceasefire, particularly in relation to the war in Ukraine, Rubio told NBC News’ Meet the Press, “…the only way to have a ceasefire is for both sides to agree to stop firing at one another. And the Russians just haven’t agreed to that.”
He emphasised that achieving a ceasefire is only part of the challenge; ensuring it holds is equally complex. According to PTI, Rubio said, “I mean, every single day we keep an eye on what’s happening between Pakistan and India, what’s happening between Cambodia and Thailand.”
Rubio added that ceasefires “can fall apart very quickly”, particularly in the context of a protracted conflict like the three-and-a-half-year-long war in Ukraine. He noted that the US is not focused on merely halting the conflict temporarily, but is instead pushing for a long-term resolution.
“…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,” he said.
In a separate interview with Fox Business, Rubio again referenced the India-Pakistan situation: “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.”
This echoes claims made repeatedly in the past by US President Donald Trump regarding American efforts in global peacebuilding.
However, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while speaking in Parliament during discussions on Operation Sindoor, firmly stated that no foreign leader had requested India to halt the operation.
India’s External Affairs Minister, S. Jaishankar, also confirmed that there was no third-party mediation involved in securing a ceasefire with Pakistan during Operation Sindoor.