US President Donald Trump described the ongoing Afghanistan-Pakistan conflict as “an easy one” for him to resolve, emphasizing his pride in saving lives and preventing wars.

Speaking at a joint press conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in Washington on Saturday, Trump said, “This is pretty much the last one, although I understand Pakistan is involved in an attack with Afghanistan.

That’s an easy one for me to solve if I have to. In the meantime, I have to run the USA, but I love solving wars.”

Trump highlighted his track record, saying, “I like stopping people from being killed. I’ve saved millions and millions of lives, and I think we’re going to have success with this war.”

He also referenced Pakistan’s Prime Minister, noting that his mediation during the recent Pakistan-India conflict saved tens of millions of lives, avoiding a confrontation between two nuclear-armed nations.

Trump added that he has helped defuse eight global conflicts in the past eight months, including Pakistan-India tensions and the Gaza conflict, asserting, “All of these wars had nothing to do with us, but I saved tens of millions of lives.”

Last week, Trump had said that he was aware of the escalating tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan, claiming he would address the situation once he returned from the Middle East, as he described himself as “good at solving wars.”

“This (Gaza) will be my eighth war that I have solved, and I hear there is a war now going on between Pakistan and Afghanistan.

I said, I’ll have to wait till I get back. I am doing another one. Because I am good at solving wars,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One as he began a flight from Washington to Israel.

The US president’s statement came as Islamabad and Kabul mutually agreed to extend the temporary truce until the conclusion of planned talks in Doha.

• I think we’re going to be fine with China, says US president.
• US Treasury secretary speaks with Chinese vice premier.
• World Trade Organisation urges US, China to ease tensions.
  

US President Donald Trump said his proposed 100% tariff on goods from China would not be sustainable, but blamed Beijing for the latest impasse in trade talks that began with Chinese authorities tightening control over rare-earth exports.

Asked whether such a high tariff was sustainable and what that might do to the US economy, Trump replied: “It’s not sustainable, but that’s what the number is.”

“They forced me to do that,” he said in an interview with Fox Business Network that was broadcast on Friday.

Trump unveiled additional levies of 100% on imports of Chinese goods a week ago, along with new export controls on “any and all critical software” by November 1, nine days before existing tariff relief was set to expire.

The new trade actions were Trump’s reaction to China’s dramatic expansion of its export controls on rare earth elements. China dominates the market for such elements, which are essential to tech manufacturing.

Trump also confirmed he would meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping in two weeks in South Korea and expressed admiration for the Chinese leader.

“I think we’re going to be fine with China, but we have to have a fair deal. It’s got to be fair,” Trump said on FBN’s “Mornings with Maria,” which was taped on Thursday.

Later, as he was preparing to have lunch at the White House with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to discuss efforts to end its war with Russia, Trump said: “China wants to talk, and we like talking to China.”

The softening in tone and affirmation of his intent to meet with Xi helped stem Wall Street’s early losses on Friday. Major US stock indexes, which have been rattled over the last week by Trump’s abrupt re-imposition of steep levies on Chinese imports and by credit worries among regional banks, were up in afternoon trading.

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent spoke with his counterpart, Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng, on Friday evening in what he called “frank and detailed discussions” about trade, and said the two will meet in person next week.

WTO urges de-escalation of trade spats

The head of the World Trade Organisation said she urged the US and China to de-escalate trade tensions, warning that a decoupling by the world’s two largest economies could reduce global economic output by 7% over the longer term.

WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala told Reuters in an interview the global trade body was extremely concerned about the latest spike in US-China trade tensions and had spoken with officials from both countries to encourage more dialogue.

But tensions continued to run high, even as Trump and Xi prepared to meet.

Bessent took aim at China’s state-driven economic practices in a statement to the IMF’s steering committee on Friday, urging the IMF and World Bank to take a tougher stance on China’s external and internal balances and industrial policies that US officials say have helped China build up excess manufacturing capacity that is flooding the world with cheap goods.

And China’s Commerce Ministry on Friday accused the US of undermining the rules-based multilateral trading system since the Trump administration took office in 2025, vowing to intensify its use of dispute settlement actions at the WTO.

It also urged the US to roll back measures that breach non-discrimination rules and align its industrial and security policies with WTO obligations.

Bessent earlier in the week had accused one of He’s top aides of being “unhinged” in recent interactions with US trade negotiators. China said on Friday that Bessent’s remarks “seriously distort the facts.”

• Mentions Putin praised US mediation in global conflicts.
• Complains he wasn’t given the Nobel Peace Prize.
• Says Pakistan-Afghanistan peace is “within reach.”

US President Donald Trump said he has helped defuse eight global conflicts over the past eight months, citing the Pakistan-India standoff and the Gaza peace deal as examples, during a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House.

“‘This is number nine. This will be number nine for me,” Trump told reporters on Friday ahead of his talks with Zelensky, referencing the Ukraine-Russia conflict that nears its four-year mark.

“I’ve solved eight conflicts, including the Middle East. This [Ukraine-Russia] I thought would have been among the easiest. [Russian President Vladimir] Putin mentioned yesterday — Armenia, you know, all of the different wars. He said it was amazing, but the big one that he was surprised that we were able to settle was the Middle East.”

Zelensky came to Washington seeking arms to bolster his country’s forces in Ukraine’s three-year-old conflict with Russia. 

However, Trump frequently highlighted his peace summit with Putin, which took place just weeks earlier, as He and Zelenskiy spoke with reporters.

That meeting hastily came together on Thursday, making clear that Trump remains intent on brokering a peace deal and taking the air out of Zelenskiy’s pitch for the missiles.

Before his private lunch meeting with Zelenskiy, Trump said the two leaders would discuss his call with Putin the previous day. 

He again reiterated his belief that his efforts merit the Nobel Peace Prize.

“It’s funny how people say that if you get this one, every time I do one, they forget about that one. I solved eight wars. 

“Go to Rwanda and the Congo. Talk about India and Pakistan. 

“Look at Thailand. Every time I solve one, they say, ‘If you solve the next one, you’re going to get the Nobel Prize.’ I didn’t get a Nobel Prize. 

“Like somebody got it, who’s a very nice woman, very nice. I don’t know who she is, but she was very generous,” Trump said.

Solver of wars

Last week, Trump had said that he was aware of the escalating tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan, claiming he would address the situation once he returned from the Middle East, as he described himself as “good at solving wars.”

“This will be my eighth war that I have solved, and I hear there is a war now going on between Pakistan and Afghanistan. I said, I’ll have to wait till I get back. I am doing another one. Because I am good at solving wars,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One as he began a flight from Washington to Israel.

“Think about India, Pakistan. Think about some of the wars that were going on for years. We had one going for 31, one going for 32, one going for 37 years, with millions of people being killed in every country, and I got every one of those done, for the most part, within a day. It’s pretty good…,” he added.

‘Man of peace’

Addressing a press conference in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, following the signing of the Gaza peace agreement, the PM Shehbaz described President Trump as a “genuine man of peace” who had worked relentlessly and untiringly to end global conflicts, including the war in Gaza.

Standing with the US president and other global leaders, the premier said that the world was witnessing “one of the greatest days in contemporary history”.

“He has brought peace not only to South Asia, saving millions of lives, but also to the Middle East through his efforts in Gaza.”

The prime minister remarked that peace had been achieved after months of tireless diplomatic efforts led by President Trump, who has made the world “a place to live with peace and prosperity.”

He hailed Trump as “the man the world needed most at this point in time,” adding that history would remember him as the leader who “stopped seven and today, eight wars.”

“Had it not been for this gentleman [Trump],” Shehbaz said, “a full-scale war between two nuclear powers could have erupted. His timely intervention averted catastrophe.”

The prime minister concluded by saying that Trump’s “visionary and exemplary leadership” had made him a symbol of hope and peace for the world, and that his name “will be remembered in golden words.”

— Additional details from Reuters