UK: ‘No nation should have to accept terrorist attacks’
“India has the right to take reasonable and proportionate steps to defend itself and to dismantle the vile terrorist infrastructure that has caused death and continues to threaten them,” UK’s Foreign Secretary David Lammy said. More importantly, he added that terror groups based in Pakistan not only endanger India but also pose a threat to Western interests.The support from UK has been bipartisan. Former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, a leader of conservative party and a vocal backer of India on security matters, was even more forthright: “No nation should have to accept terrorist attacks being launched against it from land controlled by another country. India is justified in striking terrorist infrastructure. There can be no impunity for terrorists,” his statement read. It is among the clearest endorsements of India’s right to retaliate.
Earlier, following the Pahalgam attacks, British Conservative MP Priti Patel called on the UK to deepen its counter-terrorism collaboration with India. “Most victims were killed at point-blank range by gunshots to their heads,” she reminded the House of Commons, highlighting the brutality of the attack.
Patel argued that India should not be asked to show restraint in the face of such savagery. “We want to avoid a state-on-state military escalation. We’re also clear that India has the right to take reasonable and proportionate steps to defend itself and to dismantle the vile terrorist infrastructure that has caused death and continues to threaten them. And we know that terrorists based in Pakistan threaten India and Western interests,” she said.
Today in the House of Commons I reiterated my condolences for those impacted by the atrocity that took place in Pahalgam. We must stand with those affected by terrorism. The UK must work with our friends in India to tackle terrorist threats and engage with India, Pakistan and key… pic.twitter.com/8RXezaJHx0
– Get the Patel MP (@Pritipatel) May 7, 2025
The UK ranks sixth globally in military strength, according to the 2025 Global Firepower Index.
Israel: ‘No place to hide for terrorists’
Israel, no stranger to pre-emptive counter-terror actions, offered one of the strongest expressions of support. “Israel stands with India in its fight against terrorism,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said.
Despite its small size, Israel ranks 15th globally in military power and is widely respected for its advanced technology, intelligence capabilities, and rapid strike capacity.
France: ‘Unwavering solidarity’
France, which has consistently supported India in counter-terror operations since the 2019 Pulwama-Balakot strikes, stood firmly with New Delhi. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot, in a call with External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, described the Pahalgam killings as “an act of barbarity” and said, “France expresses its unwavering solidarity with the Indian people.”
In a follow-up post on X, Barrot added: “India is struck by a violent terrorist attack… in the face of such barbarity, our solidarity is unwavering.” At the same time, France issued a diplomatic call for restraint, although it did not question India’s right to neutralise terror threats.
France, a key NATO and EU military power, holds the seventh position in the Global Firepower rankings.
India currently operates 36 Rafale fighter jets from France and is set to induct 26 more Rafale-Marine aircraft by 2030 under a ₹63,000 crore deal signed in April 2025.
The Netherlands: ‘Quiet but firm’
Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof, in a phone call with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, expressed his country’s support for India’s stance on terrorism. While the official readout was restrained, Dutch MP Geert Wilders took to social media to offer a blunt assessment: “Kashmir is 100% Indian,” he posted, adding the hashtag #PakistanBehindPahalgam.
I love India ❤️???? ???????? #Kashmir is 100% Indian.#India #OperationSindhoor #Pakistanbehindpahangam pic.twitter.com/ohmTLyOG2X
– Geert Wilders (@Geertwilderspvv) May 7, 2025
His comments, though unofficial, reflect growing frustration in Europe over Pakistan’s continued harbouring of terrorist infrastructure.
The Netherlands ranks 36th in global military strength—modest by comparison, but influential through its NATO alliances and strong diplomatic voice within the EU.
Trump’s loaded ambiguity
US President Donald Trump did not explicitly support the Indian strike—but his words left little doubt about the origin of the provocation. “Tit for tat,” he told a conservative radio show when asked about the tensions between India and Pakistan.
Trump indirectly pointed the finger at Pakistan’s role in igniting the conflict. His “tit for tat” framing subtly implies that he believes that the terrorists who killed people 26 people in Pahalgam on April 22 had the blessings of the Pakistani establishment, and therefore, India’s response was not an act of aggression but a necessary countermeasure.
The United States continues to rank first in the Global Firepower Index, making Trump’s remarks symbolically significant.
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