U.S. Vice President JD Vance visits India.

U.S. Vice President JD Vance said on Thursday that India and Pakistan should de-escalate tensions, but he added that the U.S. cannot control the nuclear-armed Asian neighbors and a war between them would be "none of our business".

"We want this thing to de-escalate as quickly as possible. We can't control these countries, though," Vance said in an interview on Fox News show "The Story with Martha MacCallum."

"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," he added.

India is an important partner for Washington, which aims to counter China's rising influence, while Pakistan remains a U.S. ally despite its diminished importance after Washington's withdrawal from neighboring Afghanistan in 2021.

Analysts and some former officials have said U.S. involvement to achieve diplomatic goals in Russia's war in Ukraine and Israel's war in Gaza may make Washington leave India and Pakistan on their own in the early days of their tensions, without much direct pressure from the U.S. government.

Pakistan and India accused each other of launching drone attacks, and Islamabad's defence minister said further retaliation was "increasingly certain," on the second day of major clashes on Thursday. Two days of fighting killed nearly four dozen people.

The latest escalation in the decades-old India-Pakistan rivalry began on April 22 when Islamist militants killed 26 people in India-administered Kashmir in an attack that New Delhi blamed on Islamabad, which denied the accusations and called for a neutral probe.

"Our hope and our expectation is that this is not going to spiral into a broader regional war or, God forbid, a nuclear conflict," Vance said on Thursday.

Washington has held regular talks with both in recent days, including on Thursday when Secretary of State Marco Rubio held calls with Pakistan's prime minister and India's foreign minister while urging them to de-escalate and have direct dialogue.

U.S. President Donald Trump called rising tensions a shame. On Wednesday, he said he hoped the two countries will stop now after going "tit-for-tat." The State Department urged both countries to work towards what Washington terms as a "responsible solution."

Pakistan's US ambassador says India, Pakistan have had contact at national security level

Pakistan's ambassador to the U.S. said on Thursday that India and Pakistan have had contacts at the level of their respective National Security Councils, when asked if the nuclear-armed Asian neighbors had any ongoing lines of conversation.

The ambassador, Rizwan Saeed Sheikh, made the comments in an interview with CNN in which he also said the responsibility to de-escalate tensions between the two countries lay with India after two days of clashes.

KEY QUOTES

"I think there have been contact at the level of NSCs, but then this escalation, both in terms of the actions that have been taken and in terms of rhetoric that is coming out, has to stop," Sheikh said in the interview without giving more details about the contacts.

"Now the responsibility for de-escalation is on India, but there are constraints on restraint. Pakistan reserves the right to respond back. There is enough pressure from our public opinion on the government to respond," he added.

WHY IT'S IMPORTANT

Many global powers, including the U.S., have urged New Delhi and Islamabad to de-escalate tensions and keep lines of communication open. Washington has called for direct dialogue.

CONTEXT

On Thursday, Pakistan and India accused each other of launching drone attacks, and Islamabad's defence minister said further retaliation was "increasingly certain," on the second day of major clashes between the nuclear-armed neighbours. Two days of fighting have killed nearly four dozen people.

The latest escalation in the decades-old India-Pakistan rivalry began on April 22 when Islamist militants killed 26 people in India-administered Kashmir in an attack that New Delhi blamed on Islamabad, which denied the accusations and called for a neutral probe.

5 things to know as India-Pakistan conflict risks erupting

Tensions are rapidly escalating between nuclear powers India and Pakistan after India on Tuesday struck what it says were terrorist targets deep inside Pakistan, which says its military shot down five Indian fighter jets.

India on Tuesday launched what it said were retaliatory strikes against Pakistan, the most significant attack in decades, coming two weeks after a deadly attack in Indian-administered Kashmir that killed 26 tourists.

Pakistan has denied any involvement in the attack in Kashmir and has called Indian strikes in Pakistani territory “an act of war.” Officials in Pakistan have vowed to respond to the strikes.

President Trump on Wednesday from the Oval Office encouraged de-escalation and said “I know both very well. I want to see them work it out.” Trump added, “I want to see them stop.”

“If I can do anything to help, I will be there,” the U.S. president added.

Here’s what to know with the two nuclear-armed countries on the brink.

Damage on both sides

The Indian missile strikes killed 31 people and injured 57 in Pakistan-administered Kashmir and the country’s Punjab province, according to a statement from Pakistan’s military.

Shortly after the strikes took place Tuesday, India’s Defense Ministry said the strikes targeted at least nine sites “where terrorist attacks against India have been planned.”

India’s army said 15 civilians were killed and 43 were injured on its side of the border.

“In an hourlong air battle, our pilots blew up the jets of the enemy to smithereens,” Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said in an address Wednesday.

Pakistan is claiming it shot down five Indian jets in an act of “self-defense.” India has not responded to those claims.

A French official also told CNN that one Rafale jet, which is operated by India, was downed in the skirmish.

All eyes on Pakistan’s response

Sharif said Wednesday that Pakistan would “fight until the last drop of their blood” to hold India accountable for the strikes.

“We will promise that every drop of their blood that has been shed will be made accountable,” he added.

“This is that coward enemy that will always attack innocent people and then they will think they are brave. Last night we proved Pakistan will give an answer.”

Sharif’s comments raised concerns about the conflict escalating, although experts also caution that neither country is eager to engage in a wider war.

“Pakistan reserves the right to respond, in self-defence, at a time, place, and manner of its choosing to avenge the loss of innocent Pakistani lives and blatant violation of its sovereignty,” said a readout from a Pakistani National Security Committee emergency meeting.

India’s fury over attack 

India’s retaliation to the April 22 attack has long been expected. India has described the massacre as a “terror attack” and said it had “cross-border” links, blaming Pakistan for backing terror organizations.

Tensions within the country have also been heightened in the wake of the terror attack as witnesses said that Hindus were targeted and shot dead after confirming their religion.

India called its retaliatory operation “Sindoor,” which in Hindi refers to the red vermilion worn by married Hindu women on their forehead. The operation name is a reference to the women who witnessed their husbands’ deaths in the April 22 attack in Kashmir.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has boasted about returning normalcy to Kashmir, and his base had been clamoring for revenge after last month’s attack.

Trump, Rubio call for de-escalation

Trump on Tuesday called India’s strikes on Pakistan a “shame” and expressed hope that the violence ends quickly.

“It’s a shame. We just heard about it just as we were walking in the doors of the Oval,” Trump said during a swearing-in ceremony for Steve Witkoff, his special envoy for the Middle East.

“I guess people knew something was going to happen based on a little bit of the past,” Trump said. “They’ve been fighting for a long time, you know? They’ve been fighting for many, many decades, and centuries, actually, if you really think about it. No, I just hope it ends very quickly.”

Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who is also the national security adviser, spoke to his Indian counterpart shortly after the strikes on Tuesday. He also held a phone call with his Pakistani counterpart Lt. Gen. Muhammad Asim Malik.

“Earlier this afternoon, @SecRubio spoke to the national security advisors from India and Pakistan. He urged both to keep lines of communication open and avoid escalation,” the U.S. Department of State posted on the social platform X.

Fears of nuclear war hang over conflict 

India and Pakistan are both said to have 170 nuclear warheads, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), adding to fears that any escalation could lead to a nuclear war between the two countries.

India and Pakistan have exchanged fire on an almost daily basis since the April 22 attack across the “line of control.”

But the strikes on Tuesday marked the largest attack in Pakistan in at least 50 years.

Indian officials said the strikes were precisely targeted at terrorist infrastructure and showed “considerable restraint.” That hasn’t quelled concerns.

Joel Rubin, a former senior State Department official for the Obama administration, called the India-Pakistan conflict “the most unstable nuclear standoff on the planet,” and he called on the Trump administration to step up its response.

“There are 350 nuclear warheads between them, yet no guardrails on this relationship,” he said in a BBC interview. “We should lean into diplomatic efforts to stop this war, not cede leadership to others like Iran.”