Washington DC [US]: As tensions escalate between India and Pakistan, US Vice President JD Vance has stated that the ongoing conflict is “fundamentally none of America’s business,” emphasizing that Washington cannot control or mediate the situation beyond encouraging de-escalation.
“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,” Vance said during an interview with Fox News. “We are not going to get involved in the middle. It has nothing to do with America’s ability to control it.”
The Vice President acknowledged the global concern surrounding the potential for conflict between two nuclear-armed nations, but stressed that the US cannot dictate actions to either New Delhi or Islamabad.
“We are concerned any time nuclear powers collide,” he added. “But America can’t tell the Indians to lay down their arms or tell the Pakistanis to lay down theirs.”
Vance emphasized the importance of diplomacy and restraint, saying the US hopes the crisis doesn’t escalate into a broader war or nuclear confrontation.
“The job of diplomacy—and the job of cooler heads in India and Pakistan—is to make sure this doesn’t become a nuclear war. If it happened, it would be disastrous,” he warned.
Meanwhile, US State Department Spokesperson Tammy Bruce reiterated during a press briefing that Secretary of State Marco Rubio is focused on preventing escalation and has been actively engaging both countries.
“Our primary focus is to ensure the situation does not escalate further,” Bruce said, stressing that communication remains key.
The comments come in the backdrop of India’s launch of Operation Sindoor and ongoing cross-border tensions, following a deadly terror attack in Pahalgam on April 22.