A Shift in Tensions: The US and India-Pakistan Ceasefire
Vance made a phone call to the Indian prime minister to spur negotiations for a truce, based on concerning intelligence reports, according to sources.
Tension between India and Pakistan had been brewing for some time, with top US officials, including Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and White House chief of staff Susie Wiles, closely watching the situation unfold. Then, on a Friday morning, the US received alarming intelligence, according to Trump administration officials who spoke to CNN.
Although they declined to reveal the specifics, they emphasized the information's critical importance in convincing the three officials that the US needed to increase its involvement. Vance would then make a call to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
During his conversation with President Donald Trump, Vance discussed a plan to get India and Pakistan back to the negotiating table. According to administration officials, Vance believed the US had a high probability of witnessing dramatic escalation as the conflict continued into the weekend. He urged Modi to communicate with Pakistan directly and to consider options for de-escalation.
At this point, the US believed the nuclear-armed neighbors were not speaking, and it was necessary to bridge the communications divide. Vance also highlighted a potential off-ramp that the US believed the Pakistanis would find acceptable, although details were not provided.
From Friday night onward, State Department officials, including Rubio, engaged in discussions with their counterparts in India and Pakistan. Rubio had been contacting individuals in the region since Tuesday, aiming to negotiate a ceasefire, but the specifics were left for India and Pakistan to work out directly.
"There was a lot of effort going on to try and prevent escalation earlier in the week, and it was clear that the two sides weren't talking," one official familiar with Rubio's calls to his counterparts explained.
"The goal earlier in the week was to encourage India and Pakistan to speak with their counterparts and figure out a path to de-escalation through a ceasefire, and through the course of those conversations, US officials were able to gather insights into potential off-ramps for both sides. This allowed us to help relay the message and bridge some of the communications gap, enabling the two sides to actually talk and ultimately reach the point where we are now," the source added.
Although the Trump administration was not involved in drafting the agreement, it saw its role as getting the two sides to talk. Vance's call to Modi was deemed a crucial moment, as Vance had met with the prime minister just the previous month, and Trump officials believed his relationship with Modi would help during the conversation.
However, it's important to note that Indian officials have been more reserved in acknowledging US involvement in the negotiations. While Pakistan praised US involvement, India has downplayed it, hinting at a preference for direct talks between the two countries[2].
This ceasefire marked a significant achievement in diplomacy, as the two nations had been locked in a bitter conflict for some time. Both India and Pakistan have historically viewed foreign intervention differently, with India resisting international mediation due to its aspirations as a global superpower, and Pakistan welcoming such intervention due to its dependence on foreign aid[3].
CNN's Kit Maher, Sophia Saifi, and Christian Edwards contributed to this report.
[1] Maher, Kit, Sophia Saifi, and Christian Edwards. "India and Pakistan agree to ceasefire after weeks of tensions." CNN, May 10, 2025.
[2] Raman, Shashank. "India-Pakistan ceasefire: The US takes credit, but Delhi downplays it." The Economic Times, May 10, 2025.
[3] Singh, Deepa. "India and Pakistan: Long-standing Rivals with Differing Views on Foreign Intervention." The Diplomat, May 11, 2025.
- Vice President JD Vance, after speaking with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, proposed a plan to get India and Pakistan back to the negotiating table, aiming to prevent a surprising dramatical escalation of the ongoing conflict.
- State Department officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, engaged in discussions with their counterparts in India and Pakistan, hoping to find a potential off-ramp for both nations that Pakistanis might find acceptable.
- The US saw its role in the India-Pakistan ceasefire negotiations as getting the two sides to talk, with Vance's call to Modi being a crucial moment, given his recent meeting with the prime minister.
- Despite the US's involvement in the ceasefire, Indian officials have been more reserved in acknowledging it, hinting at a preference for direct talks between the two countries without foreign intervention.
- The ceasefire in the ongoing India-Pakistan conflict, which marked a significant achievement in diplomacy, has historically been viewed differently by the two nations. India, as a global superpower, resists international mediation, while Pakistan, due to its dependence on foreign aid, welcomes such intervention.
