India and Pakistan have agreed to a halt in fighting after back-and-forth strikes deepened fears of a wider conflict. The ceasefire is now in effect, according to officials from both countries.
US State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said that the ceasefire reached between India and Pakistan was a result of several conversations between Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Vice President JD Vance over the past 48 hours between top officials in each country.
“It was a beautiful partnership,” Bruce said on News Nation. “This was the result of the Vice President JD Vance, of course, this entire government moving through the vision and implementing the insight and vision of President Trump along with of course, my guy, Secretary of State Marco Rubio.”
What India and Pakistan say: India’s Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, however, did not mention US involvement when announcing the agreement, and an Indian statement said the deal was worked out “directly” between the two countries. Meanwhile, President Donald Trump claimed this morning that the ceasefire was brokered by the US.
But a Pakistani government source familiar with the negotiations told CNN that the US — and Rubio in particular — played a crucial role in getting both sides to agree.
“It’s been a long 48 hours, but this is the point of what we do,” Bruce continued. “Multiple phone calls at multiple levels with each government were had, certainly with the prime ministers over this period of time. Back-and-forth conversations and both, again JD Vance, our vice president, and the secretary of state clearly making a difference.”
“We look forward to hopefully managing more conversations and having this endure,” she added.
“We thank President Trump,” Pakistan’s prime minister says after ceasefire
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif thanked US President Donald Trump for his role in brokering a ceasefire agreement between India and Pakistan, as the two countries offer differing accounts on Washington’s involvement in the talks.
“We thank President Trump for his leadership and proactive role for peace in the region,” Sharif wrote on X, about three hours after Trump first announced the ceasefire.
“Pakistan appreciates the United States for facilitating this outcome, which we have accepted in the interest of regional peace and stability,” Sharif said, adding that Saturday’s agreement could beckon “a new beginning” for peace in the region.
Sharif also thanked Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio for their “valuable contributions.”
Since the ceasefire was announced, the Indian government has downplayed the US’ reported efforts, while Pakistani officials have amplified them.