KUALA LUMPUR — U.S. President Donald Trump, in Malaysia after helping mediate a truce between Thailand and Cambodia, lavished praise on Pakistan’s leadership Sunday and vowed Washington would quickly resolve a fresh flare-up between Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Speaking to reporters, Trump called Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir “great people” and said he expected the dispute — which began roughly two weeks ago and has already cost lives — to be settled soon. “There is only one left,” he said, claiming his administration has ended eight wars in eight months and insisting he can do the same here. “I do it nicely… if I can take time and save millions of lives, that’s really a great thing.”
Trump made the remarks at the same summit where a long-awaited peace agreement between Thailand and Cambodia was signed in his presence. He framed the deal as one of multiple international conflicts his administration has helped defuse since his return to office, repeatedly taking credit for halting wars and touting his personal influence in negotiating outcomes.
His broad claims about ending conflicts have drawn scrutiny before: Trump has previously said U.S. interventions under his leadership helped end other regional tensions — assertions that other leaders have sometimes disputed. In India’s case, Prime Minister Narendra Modi told Parliament that no foreign leader asked New Delhi to stand down during Operation Sindoor, a military response launched after a terror attack; Modi recounted being contacted by U.S. Vice-President J.D. Vance while he was coordinating with India’s forces and said India acted independently.
Trump’s latest comments underscore his high-profile, presidential approach to diplomacy on the sidelines of multilateral gatherings — combining public praise for foreign officials with bold promises of peacemaking that, in several instances, remain to be confirmed by independent diplomatic channels.
