WASHINGTON—Nuclear-armed rivals India and Pakistan have agreed to a ceasefire following U.S.-led talks to end an intensifying military confrontation, President Donald Trump announced in a post on his Truth Social media platform Saturday morning.
“After a long night of talks mediated by the United States, I am pleased to announce that India and Pakistan have agreed to a FULL AND IMMEDIATE CEASEFIRE. Congratulations to both Countries on using Common Sense and Great Intelligence,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social.
“Congratulations to both Countries on using Common Sense and Great Intelligence,” Trump wrote. “Thank you for your attention to this matter!”
Within hours, however, blasts were reported from the main cities of Indian Kashmir, the center of four days of fighting, Reuters reported.
It said blasts were heard in Srinagar and Jammu and that projectiles and flashes were seen in the night sky over Jammu, similar to the events of the previous evening, citing authorities, residents and Reuters witnesses.
The agreement follows several weeks of military clashes in the aftermath of an armed and deadly attack on tourists last month that India blames Pakistan for. Hours earlier, India and Pakistan both carried out strikes using drones and missiles fired from fighter jets in a major escalation of the conflict.
Pakistan’s foreign minister also said both countries had agreed to a ceasefire “with immediate effect” and India’s foreign ministry said it would start at 5 p.m. Indian time (1130 GMT).
But in a social media post that included the label #IndiaFightsPropaganda, the Indian government said the halt in fighting “was worked out directly between the two countries.” It and other statements from the Indian government made no mention of United States’ involvement.
In the lead-up to the ceasefire, Secretary of State Marco Rubio held calls with Indian and Pakistani officials, including Pakistani Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif, who he spoke with on May 8.
The State Department said that Rubio emphasized the United States’ desire for a deescalation in that call and one with Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar the same day.
Vice President JD Vance said in an interview on Fox News that aired that evening that while the United States wanted the conflict between the nuclear powers to deescalate, and it could push them in that direction, the administration had control over the nations’ actions.
“What we can do is try to encourage these folks to de-escalate a little bit, but we’re not going to get involved in the middle of war that’s fundamentally none of our business and has nothing to do with America’s ability to control it,” Vance said.
Up until that point, Rubio was the point person leading the conversations and outreach to the two nations on behalf of the United States, the department’s spokeswoman Tammy Bruce told reporters on May 8.
An official familiar with the timeline of events said the Trump administration became seriously concerned the conflict could spiral out of control the next morning and decided that Vance should call Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who he met with in New Delhi the previous month. Trump was then briefed on the plan.
On the call, Vance encouraged Modi to consider options available for deescalation, the official said, and offered what the person described as a potential off-ramp, which the U.S. understood the Pakistanis to be amenable to.
On the evening of May 9, the State Department said Rubio spoke to Pakistan’s army chief and said the United States would be willing to mediate talks.
Overnight, Rubio pushed the countries to re-establish direct communication in calls with Pakistan’s deputy prime minister, Ishaq Dar, and Jaishankar.
“I am pleased to announce the Governments of India and Pakistan have agreed to an immediate ceasefire and to start talks on a broad set of issues at a neutral site,” Rubio said in a May 10 statement that also gave credit to Vance.
Vance thanked Rubio said in a social media post, and expressed his gratitude “to the leaders of India and Pakistan for their hard work and willingness to engage in this ceasefire.”
Contributing: Reuters.