World capitals on Wednesday were quick to call for de-escalation soon after India announced the cross-border Operation Sindoor targeting terror camps in Pakistan, eager to avoid another conflict at a time they are struggling to find a resolution to the situation in Ukraine and Gaza.

India has made it clear that if Pakistan responds, India would too, raising the spectre of a protracted conflict.

External affairs minister S. Jaishankar and national security adviser Ajit Doval reached out to their counterparts in several capitals, while foreign secretary Vikram Misri briefed the envoys of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) member countries. Pakistan is learnt to have sought another meeting of the UNSC as a non-permanent member. The Indian mission at the UN will reach out to UNSC members in New York as well.

In these conversations, the security and diplomatic establishment iterated India’s right to respond, pre-empt and deter more such cross-border attacks. Operation Sindoor, according to India, was “measured, non-escalatory, proportionate and responsible” and “focused on dismantling the terrorist infrastructure and disabling terrorists likely to be sent across to India”.

Pointing out that no demonstrable step was taken by Pakistan against the terrorist infrastructure in the country in the fortnight since the Pahalgam attack, India sought to drive home the point that the dead-of-the-night operation should be seen in thecontext of what the UNSC had said in its statement on April 25 on the killing of 26 tourists. The UNSC had stressed the need to hold the perpetrators, organisers, financiers and sponsors of the Pahalgam attack accountable and bring them to justice.

On whether India had achieved its objective with Operation Sindoor, Misri is said to have informed the envoys that nine sites were targeted. He said the mosque where civilians came under fire was part of a terror camp.

US President Donald Trump on Wednesday called for restraint. “I guess people knew something was going to happen based on a little bit of the past. They’ve been fighting for a long time… I just hope it ends very quickly,” Trump told reporters.

US secretary of state Marco Rubio echoed Trump in a post on X: “I am monitoring the situation between India and Pakistan closely. I echo @POTUS’s comments earlier today that this hopefully ends quickly and will continue to engage both Indian and Pakistani leadership towards a peaceful resolution.”

Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian described India’s military operation as “regrettable”. “We are concerned about the ongoing situation. India and Pakistan are and will always be each other’s neighbours. They’re both China’s neighbours as well. China opposes all forms of terrorism. We urge both sides to act in the larger interest of peace and stability, remain calm, exercise restraint and refrain from taking actions that may further complicate the situation. We stand ready to work with the international community to continue to play a constructive role in the de-escalation of the ongoing tensions.”

Russia also expressed concern over the escalation. “We are deeply concerned about the intensified military confrontation between India and Pakistan…. We call on the parties concerned to exercise restraint in order to prevent further deterioration of the situation in the region. We hope that the differences between New Delhi and Islamabad will be resolved through peaceful and diplomatic means... in line with the 1972 Simla Agreement and the 1999 Lahore Declaration,” Russian foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said.

British foreign secretary David Lammy said in a statement: “Current tensions between India and Pakistan are a serious concern. The UK government is urging India and Pakistan to show restraint and engage in direct dialogue to find a swift, diplomatic path forward. The UK has close and unique relationships with both countries. I have made clear to my counterparts in India and Pakistan that if this escalates further,nobody wins.”

French foreign minister Jean-Noel Barrot told a TV network that Paris understood India’s desire to protect itself against the scourge of terrorism, but “we obviously call on both India and Pakistan to exercise restraint, to avoid escalation and, of course, to protect civilians”.