The US Department of State principal deputy spokesperson, Tommy Pigott, on Tuesday commended India and Pakistan for choosing the path of peace. He emphasised the importance of direct communication between the two neighbouring countries.

When asked whether the US had received any assurances or commitments from Pakistan about dismantling its terror infrastructure or halting support for terror groups, Pigott said, “I can only reiterate that we welcome the ceasefire reached between India and Pakistan this weekend. We commend both Prime Ministers for choosing the path of peace. We also want to encourage direct communication between the parties.”

“We also welcome the ceasefire between India and Pakistan and commend Prime Ministers Modi and Sharif for choosing the path of peace. As President Trump said, their decision reflects strength, wisdom, and fortitude. We urge both sides to maintain direct communication to preserve regional stability,” Pigott added.

Earlier, US President Donald Trump, who described himself as a peacemaker during an address in Saudi Arabia on Saturday, suggested that India and Pakistan should “have a nice dinner together” to help ease tensions between the nuclear-armed neighbours.

Addressing the US-Saudi Investment Forum, Trump reiterated the claim that his administration had helped broker peace to avert a “potential nuclear war” between India and Pakistan, which he said could have killed millions.

“I think they’re actually getting along. Maybe we can even get them together a little bit, Marco, where they go out and have a nice dinner together. Wouldn’t that be nice?,” the US President, who is on a three-nation Middle East visit, asked.

Meanwhile, the Indian government has rejected Trump’s claim that he helped broker a ceasefire between India and Pakistan in exchange for trade concessions, stating unequivocally that the “issue of trade did not come up” in any discussions between the two nations during the recent military escalation.

In response to media queries about Trump’s comments, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) clarified that the Indian and US leadership were in touch during the tense standoff with Pakistan, but there was no conversation on trade.

With inputs from Agencies

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