Washington continues to closely monitor developments between India and Pakistan “every single day,” US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Sunday (local time), just days after US President Donald Trump once again claimed he had brokered a ceasefire between the two countries.
Rubio’s comments came during an interview with NBC’s Meet The Press, where he was asked about the sharp escalation in Russian attacks on Ukraine after Trump assumed office.
“The only way to have a ceasefire is for both sides to agree to stop firing. The Russians just haven’t agreed to that. One of the challenges with ceasefires is that they must be maintained, which is very difficult. Every single day we monitor what’s happening between Pakistan and India, and also in places like Cambodia and Thailand. Ceasefires can collapse very quickly, especially after a war that’s lasted more than three years,” Rubio said.
His remarks came just days after Trump again asserted that he had “brokered a ceasefire deal” between India and Pakistan — a claim he has made nearly 40 times. New Delhi has consistently rejected this, reiterating that all issues with Pakistan are strictly bilateral.
On being asked why the Trump administration had not imposed fresh sanctions on Russia despite repeated threats, Rubio said, “Every single sanction that was in place on the day he took over remains. And the impact of those sanctions remains. When the Russians landed in Alaska to refuel, they had to pay in cash because they cannot use our banking system. They face consequences every single day. But those sanctions have not altered the course of the war. That doesn’t make them inappropriate — it simply means they haven’t changed the outcome.”
He further added, “The moment you issue new sanctions, your ability to get them to the table, our ability to get them to the table, will be severely diminished.”
Meanwhile, ties between Washington and New Delhi have faced new strain on the trade front. Government sources confirmed that the US delegation will not travel to India for the sixth round of bilateral trade negotiations scheduled for August 25.
“The US trade team will not be coming to India for the next round of talks. They were scheduled to visit on August 25 for the sixth round of negotiations,” a source told Media. The fifth round of talks was held in Washington DC from July 14–18, 2025.
This setback comes just days after Trump imposed an additional 25 per cent tariff on Indian goods — raising the total levy to 50 per cent — along with an unspecified penalty on India’s continued oil imports from Russia.
In a recent post, Trump wrote: “India is not only buying massive amounts of Russian oil, they are then selling much of it on the open market for big profits. They don’t care how many people in Ukraine are being killed by the Russian war machine. Because of this, I will be substantially raising the tariff paid by India to the USA.”
In a separate interview, Trump accused India of “fueling the war machine” through its ongoing oil purchases from Russia. (Agencies)
