US President Donald Trump praised Pakistan’s leadership during a meeting with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz at the White House on Thursday, marking their first bilateral discussion since Merz’s election on May 6. The meeting covered a range of topics, among which was Trump’s acknowledgment of Pakistan’s leadership during the recent spike in tensions between India and Pakistan. Trump took credit for preventing the situation from spiraling further, stating, “Pakistan has very strong leadership. Some people won’t like when I say that, but it is what it is.” His diplomatic efforts, which involved intense talks with both sides, were credited with diffusing the immediate crisis. “I spoke to very talented people on both sides. I said, ‘We’re not going to deal with you on trade if you’re going to go shooting each other and whipping out nuclear weapons,'” Trump recalled, referencing the dangerous escalation that had brought the nuclear-armed neighbours to the brink of a full-scale conflict.