Islamabad, Pakistan – The setting was Mar-a-Lago, the personal residence of United States President Donald Trump, and the question concerned the fate of Russia’s war on Ukraine, which has been raging since February 2022.
“We have stopped eight wars,” Trump said during a news conference on December 22, where he also announced a new class of heavily armed warships that will be named after him.
“We stopped a potential nuclear war between Pakistan and India,” the president added, making the argument for why he believed he could end the war in Ukraine, though he has so far failed to do so, despite once claiming he could stop the conflict within 24 hours.
“The head of Pakistan and a highly respected general – he is a field marshal – and also the prime minister of Pakistan said that President Trump saved 10 million lives, maybe more,” the US president added.
This marked at least the 10th instance since June this year that Trump, who returned to the White House in January for a second term, publicly praised Pakistan’s army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir.
The most prominent episode came in October, when Trump addressed the Sharm el-Sheikh Peace Summit in Egypt at the conclusion of the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.
Thanking world leaders for their efforts in the ceasefire, Trump acknowledged Shehbaz Sharif, the Pakistani prime minister, standing behind him, before referring to Munir, describing him as “my favourite field marshal”.
On several other occasions earlier in the year, Trump described Munir as “a great fighter”, “a very important guy”, and an “exceptional human being”. After their first meeting in June, the US president said he was “honoured” to meet the Pakistani military chief.
That public warmth towards Pakistan’s army chief underscores how Munir emerged as a central driver of the country’s rising geopolitical profile in 2025, analysts say, with some crediting him for reviving the nation’s diplomatic standing, and resurrecting Pakistan’s previously strained ties with Washington.
The US-Pakistan relationship, which was in the doldrums just a few years ago, has since expanded beyond security cooperation to include economic engagement, such as discussions on crypto mining and critical minerals.
Many experts trace this shift to the four-day armed conflict between Pakistan and India in May 2025, arguing that it marked a decisive turning point.
India and Pakistan both claimed “victory” in the air war. But irrespective of who won, Islamabad managed to use the backdrop of the conflict to further its interests, analysts say. The view is also echoed by many in Pakistan’s political and diplomatic circles.
The conflict with India “was the decisive factor that raised [the] army chief’s profile internationally,” Khurram Dastgir Khan, Pakistan’s former foreign affairs and defence minister, told Al Jazeera.
“The victory precipitated many trends that had been gathering force for some time, some of these due to the specific character of the US president, Trump.”
India and Pakistan, the two nuclear-armed neighbours who have fought several wars and have remained locked in rivalry for decades, plunged the region into crisis earlier this year after an April attack in Indian-administered Kashmir, which killed 26 civilians.
India blamed Pakistan, which denied the allegation and called for a “credible, independent, transparent” investigation.
On May 7, India launched strikes inside Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir. Pakistan responded with air operations, claiming it shot down at least six Indian fighter jets. India confirmed aircraft losses days later, but did not specify the number.
The conflict escalated over the next three days as both sides exchanged drone attacks and, on May 10, launched missiles at each other’s military targets. The fighting ended only after intense backchannel diplomacy, particularly involving the US, produced a ceasefire.
While Pakistan acknowledged Washington’s role and later nominated Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize, India insisted the ceasefire came about purely through bilateral dialogue. New Delhi has long argued that any dispute between India and Pakistan can only be resolved bilaterally.
