Apparently there was some ambiguity in Russia's statement after Pahalgam.
Now, Russian President Putin's direct call to Prime Minister Narendra Modi came on Monday, May 5th, a few days after Pakistan Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said Russia, China or Western countries can play a very positive role in the crisis.
Putin expressed "full support to India in the fight against terrorism".
He emphasised that the perpetrators of the heinous attack and their supporters must be brought to justice, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in a post on X.
The message is clear -- yet another snub to Pakistan. A financially starved nation has been forced to face war and now Pakistani ministers are running from pillar to post trying to seek international support for restrains by New Delhi.
The Russian President conveyed his deepest condolences and stressed that those involved and behind the attack must be brought to justice.
"President Putin @KremlinRussia_E called PM @narendramodi and strongly condemned the terror attack in Pahalgam, India. He conveyed deepest condolences on the loss of innocent lives and expressed full support to India in the fight against terrorism.
He emphasised that the perpetrators of the heinous attack and their supporters must be brought to justice," Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in a post on X.
The Russian President's call to Prime Minister Modi comes days after Pakistani Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said in the interview to Russian government-run RIA Novosti news agency,
- "I think Russia or China or even Western countries can play a very, very positive role in this crisis and they can even set up an investigation team that should be assigned this job to investigate whether India or Modi is lying or he is telling the truth.
Let an international team find out."
Apart from President Donald Trump, four other top US officials have spoken with India. The difference lies in the nuance of their language.
All of them have been loud and clear in their support for India and its fight against terrorism.
While US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Vice President JD Vance have urged de-escalation of tensions, others like Tulsi Gabbard have backed India's attempt to "hunt down" those responsible for the attack, which left 26 dead.
Even though Pakistan's relevance in the US's calculations in South Asia has been diminished, Washington has maintained ties with Islamabad.
Despite a foreign aid freeze, Trump has granted $5.3 billion in security-related exemptions to Pakistan and okayed nearly $400 million for maintenance of its F-16 jet fleet.
Interestingly, in his first term, Trump cut USD $1.3 billion in security aid to Pakistan and called it out for being a "safe haven" for terrorists.
JD VANCE, MARCO RUBIO URGE DE-ESCALATION
JD Vance, who was on a visit to India with his family when the Pahalgam attack took place, also adhered to a measured tone while urging Delhi to exercise restraint in a bid to avoid a regional conflict.
PETE HEGSETH, TULSI GABBARD FIRMLY BACK INDIA
The strongest reaction, perhaps, came from US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth and US intelligence chief Tulsi Gabbard.
During his call with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Hegseth said the US stood in solidarity with India and "supports its right to defend itself". It was perhaps the most clear and unequivocal support for the government in its action against terrorism.
Gabbard, the Director of National Intelligence, had gone a step further in her reaction to the attack. She called the attack one targeted against Hindus by Islamist terrorists.
At UNSC; Pakistan stood exposed.
Pakistan is among the 10 non-permanent members of the Security Council and was present at the meeting, while India wasn't.
"In these circumstances, Pakistan would have thought they had an advantage, but the impression we are getting is that a number of delegations asked very tough questions, and particularly about the Lashkar-e-Taiba and its initial claim of responsibility," said Congress MP Shashi Tharoor.
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