Trump calls Field Marshal Munir highly respected general
Pakistan
Trump made the remarks during a press conference at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Palm Beach, Florida. He said the field marshal and the prime minister had credited him with saving “10 million lives"
(Web Desk) – US President Donald Trump has once again praised Chief of Defence Force and Chief of Army Staff, Field Marshal Asim Munir, describing him as a “highly respected general”.
Trump made the remarks during a press conference at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Palm Beach, Florida, where he also announced a new class of heavily armed warships that will bear his name — an honour typically reserved for former presidents.
When asked about negotiations between Russia and Ukraine, Trump claimed his administration had “stopped eight wars”, including what he described as a potential nuclear conflict between Pakistan and India.
“We stopped a potential nuclear war between Pakistan and India,” Trump said. He added that Pakistan’s leadership, including the field marshal and the prime minister, had credited him with saving “10 million lives, maybe more” by preventing the conflict from escalating.
Trump claimed that “eight planes were shot down” as tensions intensified before the situation was brought under control. “We have solved many wars; the only one we have not solved yet is Russia and Ukraine,” he said, noting deep-seated hostility between Moscow and Kyiv.
The comments are the latest in a series of public commendations Trump has made about Field Marshal Munir since their meeting in Washington in June. On June 19, Trump extended an unprecedented invitation to Munir for a luncheon at the White House. Since then, he has repeatedly praised the army chief, at one point referring to him as “my favourite field marshal”.
On October 29, while discussing the Pakistan-India conflict in May, Trump again lauded Munir, calling him a “great fighter”. He said that while he had a strong relationship with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and was negotiating a trade deal with India, he also held Pakistan’s leadership in high regard.
“The prime minister of Pakistan is a great guy, and the field marshal — they have a field marshal. You know why he’s a field marshal? He’s a great fighter,” Trump said.
A day earlier, Trump had also credited Pakistan’s military leadership for its role in reaching a ceasefire following the May hostilities.
The May conflict between Pakistan and India was triggered by an attack on Hindu tourists in occupied Kashmir. India, without presenting evidence, accused Pakistan of backing the attack — a claim Islamabad denied, with Pakistan’s foreign ministry dismissing India’s account as “replete with fabrications”.
The four-day conflict involved fighter jets, missiles, artillery and drones, resulting in dozens of deaths before a ceasefire was agreed. Pakistan claimed it shot down six Indian fighter jets, including French-made Rafales, while India acknowledged “some losses” but rejected the specific figure.
In September, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif told the United Nations General Assembly that the Pakistan Air Force had downed seven Indian aircraft. Trump later echoed similar claims, stating that seven, and later “essentially” eight, aircraft had been shot down during the conflict.
