U.S. President Donald Trump termed rising tension between India and Pakistan a shame, while Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke to officials in the nuclear-armed rivals after India attacked several sites in Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir, Reuters reports.
India is an important U.S. partner for Washington, which aims to counter China's rising influence, while Pakistan remains an ally, despite its diminished importance after the U.S. withdrawal from neighboring Afghanistan in 2021.
"It's a shame, we just heard about it," Trump told reporters, opens new tab at the White House. "I guess people knew something was going to happen based on a little bit of the past. They've been fighting for a long time."
He added, "I just hope it ends very quickly."
