U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday called for a rapid de-escalation of hostilities between India and Pakistan, following recent missile strikes by India on Pakistani territory.
“They’ve been fighting for many, many decades,” Trump said during an event at the White House. “I just hope it ends very quickly.” He added, “People knew something was going to happen based on a little bit of the past.”
The strikes came in response to a deadly attack in late April in the disputed Kashmir region, which claimed the lives of at least 26 civilians. India said the military operation targeted militant camps linked to the assault.
In retaliation, Pakistan’s military reported that eight people were killed and 33 injured as a result of the Indian airstrikes. On the Indian side, officials confirmed that Pakistani shelling in Indian-administered Kashmir killed at least three civilians.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio also weighed in, saying he was closely following developments between the two nuclear-armed neighbors.
“I echo President Trump’s comments earlier today that this hopefully ends quickly,” Rubio wrote on X (formerly Twitter). “We will continue to engage both Indian and Pakistani leadership to support a peaceful resolution.”
India and Pakistan have fought three wars since their independence in 1947, with tensions over the Kashmir region frequently pushing them to the brink of a fourth. The territory remains a major flashpoint, claimed in full by both nations and partially administered by each, with China also asserting a stake in parts of it.
