JD Vance on India Pakistan Tension: As tensions escalated between India and Pakistan following deadly cross-border strikes and military exchanges, US Vice-President J D Vance said that it will not intervene directly, even as it pushes both nuclear-armed neighbours toward de-escalation. “We’re not going to get involved in the middle of a war that’s fundamentally none of our business,” Vance said in a television interview on Friday. “Look, we’re concerned any time nuclear powers collide and have a major conflict,” he added.
This comes a day after India launched strikes, dubbed Operation Sindoor, against “terror infrastructure” in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, following a terrorist attack on April 22 that killed 26 people in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir. Story continues below this ad In retaliation, Pakistan attempted to strike several Indian military bases with missiles and drones on Thursday night — targeting stations in Jammu, Pathankot, Udhampur and other locations — but was thwarted by Indian air defence systems. New Delhi said afterward that it remains “fully prepared to defend its sovereignty and ensure the safety of its people”.
Vance, whose family was on an official visit to India when the Pahalgam attack occurred, acknowledged the gravity of the situation but framed it as a regional dispute beyond Washington’s control. “We can’t control these countries,” he said. “Fundamentally, India has its gripes with Pakistan.
Pakistan has responded to India. What we can do is try to encourage these folks to de-escalate a little bit.” He added that while Washington is watching the conflict with concern, it does not intend to dictate terms to either side. “America can’t tell the Indians to lay down their arms.
We can’t tell the Pakistanis to lay down their arms. And so we’re going to continue to pursue this thing through diplomatic channels.” “Our hope and our expectation is that this is not going to spiral into a broader regional war or, God forbid, a nuclear conflict. But sure, we’re worried about these things,” Vance said.
“But I think the job of diplomacy, but also the job of cooler heads in India and Pakistan, is to make sure this doesn’t become a nuclear war. If it happened, of course it would be disastrous. Right now we don’t think that’s going to happen.” Story continues below this ad Meanwhile, Secretary of State Marco Rubio has stepped up diplomatic efforts, speaking separately on Thursday with India’s External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
According to the State Department, Rubio urged both leaders to pursue “immediate de-escalation.” In his call with Jaishankar, Rubio reaffirmed US condolences for the Pahalgam attack and reiterated American support for India’s counterterrorism efforts. He also encouraged direct dialogue between New Delhi and Islamabad, emphasizing the need for improved communication. In his conversation with Sharif, the Secretary of State pressed Pakistan to take “concrete steps” to dismantle support for terrorist groups operating in the region.
