Published 01:19 IST, June 18th 2020
LAC Faceoff: US condoles deaths of Indian soldiers in Ladakh, says monitoring situation
When asked if the US President will be intervening to ensure that the situation does not escalate further, Kayleigh McEnany said, "No formal plans."
White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany on Wednesday stated that US President Donald Trump is monitoring the situation along the Line of Actual Control in Ladakh and expressed condolences to the families of the security personnel who lost their lives in the violent standoff that took place on an intervening night between June 15 and 16.
'Monitoring situation'
During the press briefing, McEnany was asked about the developing situation in the subcontinent. White House Press Secretary said, "The President is aware of the situation between Indian and China along the line of Actual Control in eastern Ladakh. We have seen the India army statement that 20 Indian soldiers died as a result of the confrontation and we extend our deepest condolences."
When asked if the US President will be intervening to ensure that the situation does not escalate further, McEnany said, "No formal plans beyond what I already said and we are expressing our absolute condolences to the Indian soldiers that died as a result of."
Australia-Russia on LAC Faceoff
Earlier, siding with India in the Indo-China clashes in Galwan Valley, Australian High Commissioner to India Barry O'Farrell took note of India's efforts to de-escalate the situation with China via talks. He also paid tribute to the 20 Indian soldiers who were martyred in the clashes on June 15-16.
"We note India’s efforts to deescalate at the border and wish to convey our deepest condolences to the families of the Indian soldiers who have lost their lives. As a father of a serving military officer, I greatly value the sacrifice that our soldiers make in the defence of our countries," said O'Farrell.
Meanwhile, Russia also "welcomed" the consultations between military representatives of India and China, following the fatal clashes at Ladakh's Galwan Valley.
"It has already been announced that the military representatives of India and China have made contact, they are discussing the situation, discussing measures to de-escalate it. We welcome this," Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov was quoted by ANI as saying.
What happened in Galwan?
Indian Army soldiers including a Commanding Officer were martyred when a violent faceoff took place on Monday night when the de-escalation process was underway in the Galwan Valley. As per US intelligence reports, the Chinese side has suffered 35 casualties including a Commanding officer, during the physical clash.
Sources revealed that an Indian colonel was attacked by Chinese Army personnel with iron rods without any provocation leading to a strong retaliation from the Indian side. This physical hand-to-hand combat went on for many hours on Monday, sources revealed. On Tuesday morning, senior commanders took stock of the situation and the talks started at about 7 am.
Updated 07:10 IST, June 18th 2020