- US Defense Secretary credited Trump for easing India-Pakistan tensions after 2019 conflict
- India is described as a critical partner in the US Indo-Pacific security strategy
- US does not currently view India or Pakistan as direct threats to regional security
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Saturday credited President Donald Trump with helping ease tensions between India and Pakistan following their military confrontation last year, while describing India as a critical partner in Washington's Indo-Pacific strategy and highlighting expanding defense cooperation between the two nations, accordingIng to PTI.
Speaking at the Shangri-La Dialogue security summit in Singapore, Hegseth referred to the understanding reached, while praising Trump's diplomatic role, as per PTI: “You saw that in the ability of the president to come together on brokering a peace between India and Pakistan.”
Trump has repeatedly claimed that his administration played a key role in reducing tensions after the four-day military conflict that followed the terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam, which claimed 26 lives. India, however, has consistently maintained that the understanding was reached directly between New Delhi and Islamabad and has rejected suggestions of third-party mediation.
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Addressing regional security dynamics, Hegseth noted that while India and Pakistan will continue to evaluate their relationship strictly based on safeguarding their own borders and distinct threat priorities, the United States does not currently view either nation as a direct threat.
The US Defense Secretary also acknowledged the role of Pakistan's military and political leadership in ongoing diplomatic efforts in West Asia. Referring to Pakistan's engagement in facilitating discussions between the United States and Iran, he described the evolving relationship as an important development, reported PTI.
Hegseth described India as a key Indo-Pacific security partner, highlighting its military modernization and expanding logistics and industrial capabilities. He also reaffirmed Washington's commitment to strengthening defense cooperation and pursuing joint defense production initiatives with India.
Outlining the broader US Indo-Pacific strategy, Hegseth said: “What we seek ... is a genuinely stable equilibrium that works for Americans as well as for our allies.” “A favourable, but durable, balance of power in which no state, including China, can impose its hegemony and hold the security or prosperity of our nation and our allies in question,” he added.
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