Pete Hegseth Credits Trump For India-Pakistan Peace Effort, Calls India Key Indo-Pacific Partner

US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth on Saturday credited President Donald Trump with helping defuse tensions between India and Pakistan after their military confrontation last year, while also underscoring India's growing importance in Washington's Indo-Pacific strategy.

His remarks at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore came as he outlined the United States' approach to regional security, defence partnerships and the balance of power in the Indo-Pacific. According to PTI, Hegseth also touched on the understanding reached between India and Pakistan after a four-day military conflict triggered by the terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam that killed 26 people.

"You saw that in the ability of the president to come together on brokering a peace between India and Pakistan, two nuclear capable countries," Hegseth said.

Trump has repeatedly claimed he helped secure peace between India and Pakistan following the conflict. India, however, has consistently maintained that the understanding was reached directly between New Delhi and Islamabad and has rejected claims of third-party mediation.

Hegseth said both countries would continue to view each other through the prism of security concerns.

"I think both sides there are going to see understandable threats coming from the other, maybe some of which we see differently, and countries are going to want to develop ICBM (Intercontinental Ballistic Missile) threats, but we are not pointing a finger, at least from our view right now, at either country and calling them a threat to us," he said.

He also praised the contributions of both countries to global stability.

"We are grateful for, you know, in each of their lanes, the benefits they have given to peace around the world," he said.

Reported PTI, Hegseth also referred to Pakistan's military and political leadership while discussing developments in the region.

"I mentioned India here, but I very easily could have mentioned Pakistan and the role that the field marshal and the prime minister are playing in peace negotiations," he said. "I think an unexpected development and a true friendship developing there, which I think is important."

Pakistan has emerged as a key mediator in efforts to negotiate a peace deal between the US and Iran amid the ongoing West Asia conflict. Several analysts say Islamabad enjoys the trust of both Washington and Tehran.

Top officials from both sides met in Islamabad last month for peace talks, but failed to reach an agreement. Earlier this week, Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said he hoped to host the next round of talks very soon.

PTI reported that Hegseth also highlighted India's expanding military and industrial capabilities, describing the country as an increasingly important security partner in the Indo-Pacific.

He said India was modernising its armed forces and helping maintain a balance of power, particularly in the Indian Ocean region, while building industrial and logistics capacity to sustain high-end military operations.

"We have also committed to pursuing co-production with India to advance capabilities," he said.

Hegseth made the remarks while outlining Washington's broader Indo-Pacific strategy, which he said aimed to preserve regional stability and ensure no single power could dominate the region.

"What we seek ... is a genuinely stable equilibrium that works for Americans as well as for our allies," he said. "A favourable, but durable, balance of power in which no state, including China, can impose its hegemony and hold the security or prosperity of our nation and our allies in question."

He stressed that the Indo-Pacific remained central to US security and prosperity and sought to reassure regional partners that Washington remained committed to the region despite security challenges elsewhere, including in West Asia.

Hegseth also renewed calls for greater burden-sharing among allies and partners.

"The era of the United States subsidising the defence of wealthy nations is over. We need partners, not protectorates. We seek alliances built on shared responsibility, not dependency," he said.

He added that the US would continue strengthening military capabilities and cooperation with allies to preserve regional stability.

Hegseth further pointed to defence commitments undertaken by several Indo-Pacific partners, including India, Japan, South Korea, Australia, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam and the Philippines.

At the same time, he said Washington was not seeking "confrontation" with Beijing despite concerns over China's military build-up.

The Shangri-La Dialogue, organised by the International Institute for Strategic Studies, brings together defence ministers, military leaders and security officials from across the world to discuss strategic and security challenges facing the region.

(With inputs from PTI)