At the ASEAN summit in Kuala Lumpur, US President Donald Trump described Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Army Chief Asim Munir as “great people” and expressed confidence in quickly ending the ongoing Pakistan-Afghanistan tensions. The remarks came as Trump attended the signing of a peace deal between Thailand and Cambodia, which he said marked one of eight wars resolved by his administration in just eight months.

Trump highlighted that his government had successfully mediated several international conflicts, claiming that no other US president had achieved such peace efforts. “We’ve ended eight wars in eight months. There’s just one left, between Pakistan and Afghanistan, and I’ll take care of that very soon,” he said. He added that both Sharif and Munir were strong leaders and that he could handle the matter “nicely” to prevent further loss of life.

The comments reinforced Trump’s growing rapport with the Pakistani leadership. Earlier this month, Trump had recalled Sharif’s visit to Washington, quoting the Prime Minister as saying that the US President “saved millions of lives” — a reference to Trump’s role in mediating the India-Pakistan ceasefire earlier this year.

India, however, denied any third-party involvement in the truce that followed the brief but intense cross-border conflict after the Pahalgam terror attack. Pakistan, on the other hand, credited Trump’s intervention for halting the hostilities, with Sharif even proposing Trump’s name for the Nobel Peace Prize for his “extraordinary contribution” to regional stability.

Sharif and Munir have both met Trump multiple times this year. Munir visited Washington twice, joining Sharif during his official visit to the White House in September, where Trump once again called the Pakistani leaders “wonderful people” and expressed optimism about stronger US-Pakistan ties.