Addressing the media in Switzerland, JD Vance has expressed his appreciation for Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, calling him a “dear friend of the president’s, dear friend of mine”.

“His very careful and skilled negotiations got us to this point,” Vance said of the premier.

He also appreciated CDF Asim Munir, saying he had joked since his reception in Islamabad earlier this year that “I have two very, very important people in my life: an Indian and a Pakistani. The Indian is my wife, and the Pakistani is Field Marshal Munir.”

“I’ve probably talked to Field Marshal Munir more than I’ve talked to anybody else over the last three months,” he added. “He is of course a great military leader but I think he’s shown himself to be a great diplomat.”