US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has reiterated claims that the United States played a key role in brokering an end to the India-Pakistan conflict, a stance met with cautious responses from both the US State Department and officials in New Delhi and Islamabad.
At an open cabinet meeting on Tuesday, Rubio credited the Trump administration with preventing and ending a war between the two South Asian neighbours, listing it among several diplomatic achievements in President Donald Trump’s first six months in office.
However, during a State Department briefing that followed, spokesperson Tammy Bruce described denials from Indian officials about US mediation as “an opinion,” noting that public narratives often differ and that information evolves in real time.
Bruce referenced comments from a Pakistani journalist who used strong language to criticize members of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s cabinet for rejecting US involvement. She acknowledged the complexity of perspectives but stopped short of directly confirming Rubio’s statement.
Prime Minister Modi himself told President Trump during a recent phone call that no third-party mediation or trade talks had taken place, countering Trump’s previous assertions.
India’s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar also firmly denied US mediation during visits to New York and Washington, emphasising that India and Pakistan had directly negotiated the ceasefire.
Meanwhile, Pakistan’s Director General of Military Operations, Major General Kashif Abdullah, reportedly contacted his Indian counterpart, Lieutenant General Rajiv Ghai, to request the ceasefire.
Despite repeated mentions of US involvement by Trump administration officials, no concrete evidence of direct intervention has surfaced in public broadcasts.
The Pakistani military chief’s suggestion that Trump deserved a Nobel Prize for his efforts was met with measured skepticism. Bruce said the president “doesn’t expect” such accolades, though she praised him for achievements like the Abraham Accords and lauded his position as US president as “the biggest prize of all.”
