US State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce, quoting US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, has said that violence between India and Pakistan “has to stop” and diplomacy must be employed.

Addressing a press briefing at the State Department, Bruce said that the United States’ real focus was on preventing the situation from escalating.

“He [Rubio] has been focusing on two things: that it should not escalate,” she said. “This has been an issue for decades and with what we saw over the last few weeks with the terrorist attack, it was not surprising but very disappointing.”

According to the spokesperson, the second point that Rubio emphasised was that there needs to be communication.

“There should be talks, there should not be silence,” Bruce said. “America is obviously at the centre of this and speaking with a variety of leaders from the countries over the last two days.”

When asked if the US will play a mediating role, the spokesperson replied that this is “a delicate and dangerous situation”, without providing any specific details.

“We continue to urge India and Pakistan to work towards a responsible solution in this … we have certainly been saying that from the beginning,” Bruce said. “We are remaining engaged with both governments at multiple levels, but we will not engage in discussing the conversations.”

Speaking about the requests by Pakistan for a transparent investigation into the Pahalgam attack, the spokesperson said: “We want the perpetrators to be held accountable and our support of any efforts to that end.”

She further said, “The message from the secretary and from the United States as a whole in general is that the violence should stop.

“Military action, war, as we’ve seen in that region … has clearly, for generations, proven, that it is not a solution, because it never ends. More violence is not a solution, diplomacy is a solution … new ideas to stop generational violence and problems.”