External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar has said that Pakistan does not affect India’s relationship with the United States. Speaking at a news conference in Washington, he emphasised that India-US ties are built on mutual interests, not on third countries. He said we should stop defining ourselves based on others, and big relationships like India-US are based on shared benefits, trade, investment, technology, energy, and mobility.
Dr Jaishankar also dismissed US President Donald Trump’s claim that he helped broker a ceasefire between India and Pakistan after Operation Sindoor. He said, the record is clear, the ceasefire was negotiated directly by the military officers of both countries.
During his visit, the External Affairs Minister attended the Quad Ministerial meeting with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and the foreign ministers of Australia and Japan. They condemned the Pahalgam massacre, which was carried out by a Pakistan-based terrorist group. Dr Jaishankar also held separate meetings with Mr Rubio and US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, and Energy Secretary Chris Wright to discuss key areas such as defence, trade, and energy cooperation.