United States President Donald Trump has expressed hope that tensions between India and Pakistan would de-escalate swiftly, following India’s recent missile strikes on targets inside Pakistani territory.
Speaking during an event at the White House on Tuesday, Trump remarked, “They’ve been fighting for many, many decades. I just hope it ends very quickly.” He also suggested that the escalation had been anticipated, noting, “People knew something was going to happen based on a little bit of the past.”
The Indian government said its missile strikes targeted militant hideouts responsible for an April attack in Kashmir that claimed the lives of at least 26 civilians. In response, the Pakistani military confirmed that eight people were killed and 33 injured in the strikes.
In a related development, Indian authorities reported that at least three civilians were killed by Pakistani shelling in the Indian-administered region of Kashmir.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio added that Washington is closely monitoring the developments. “I echo President Trump’s comments earlier today that this hopefully ends quickly and will continue to engage both Indian and Pakistani leadership towards a peaceful resolution,” Rubio stated in a post on social media platform X.
India and Pakistan have fought three wars since gaining independence in 1947 and narrowly avoided a fourth, largely due to long-standing tensions over the disputed Kashmir region, which is claimed by both countries and also partially administered by China.