'Trump wants de-escalation as quickly as possible': White House's big statement on India-Pakistan tension 

US President Donald Trump has expressed that he wants India and Pakistan to de-escalate as quickly as possible, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Friday, while responding to a question on Washington's efforts to mediate in the ongoing tension.

"This is something that the Secretary of State and now our NSA as well, Marco Rubio, has been involved in. The President has expressed that he wants this to de-escalate as quickly as possible," Leavitt said. "He understands these two countries have been at odds with one another for decades, long before President Trump was here at the Oval Office. However, he has good relations with the leaders of both countries."

Leavitt also said that Secretary of State Marco Rubio has been in constant communication with the leaders of both countries, trying to bring this conflict to an end.

The statement comes on the day Pakistan launched the second wave of drones towards India, targeting civilian areas in at least 26 locations. India's air defence system intercepted drones in Baramulla in the north to Bhuj in the south, along both the International Border and the Line of Control with Pakistan.

These include suspected armed drones that pose potential threats to civilian and military targets. The locations include Baramulla, Srinagar, Avantipora, Nagrota, Jammu, Ferozepur, Pathankot, Fazilka, Lalgarh Jatta, Jaisalmer, Barmer, Bhuj, Kuarbet, and Lakhi Nala.

On Thursday, Vice President JD Vance ruled out any direct American intervention, stating that the ongoing conflict was "none of America's business". In an interview with Fox News, Vance said while the US would encourage de-escalation through diplomacy, it would not get involved militarily. "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 a war that’s fundamentally none of our business and has nothing to do with America’s ability to control it," the Vice President said.

Vance further said that America can't tell the Indians to lay down their arms. "We can't tell the Pakistanis to lay down their arms. So we're going to continue to pursue this thing through diplomatic channels."

He also expressed concern about the potential for the conflict to expand. "Our hope and our expectation is that this is not going to spiral into a broader regional war or, God forbid, a nuclear conflict. Right now, we don't think that's going to happen," the US V-P said.