US President Donald Trump on Saturday said that India and Pakistan have agreed to a "full and immediate ceasefire," amid both countries launching strikes and counter-strikes against each other's military installations.
"After a long night of talks mediated by the United States, I am pleased to announce that India and Pakistan have agreed to a full and immediate ceasefire. Congratulations to both Countries on using Common Sense and Great Intelligence," he said in a post on Truth Social.
The U.S. government said it offered assistance to make India and Pakistan start "constructive talks," while the Group of Seven (G7) major countries also urged the Asian neighbors to engage in direct dialogue amid heightened hostilities. World powers have raised the alarm over the latest escalation in the decades-old India-Pakistan rivalry. India hit Pakistan with air strikes and missiles on Wednesday, and since then, the nuclear-armed countries have been clashing daily while launching strikes against each other's military installations on Saturday. Dozens have been killed. The US, especially Secretary of State Marco Rubio, has held regular talks with both India and Pakistan since late April and urged them to de-escalate.
The U.S. State Department late on Friday and early Saturday released three statements on Rubio's calls with Pakistan Army Chief Asim Munir and the foreign ministers of India and Pakistan. It said Rubio urged them to "re-establish direct communication to avoid miscalculation" while offering U.S. assistance in starting constructive talks" to avoid future conflicts. Michael Kugelman, a Washington-based South Asia analyst and writer for the Foreign Policy magazine, said Rubio's decision to call the army chief directly was "the most consequential move the U.S. has made" since the start of the crisis: "If you want to talk to the Pakistanis about de-escalation, you need to talk to General Munir." President Donald Trump said earlier this week the rising tensions were a shame. U.S. Vice President JD Vance said a war would be "none of our business."
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