Washington - US President Donald Trump on Friday maintained that America is starting to have a real relationship with Pakistan.

He said yesterday things happened with Pakistan. But we're starting to have a real relationship with Pakistan. Pakistan and other countries are beginning to have respect for the US again, the president added.

"I have openly said Pakistan took tremendous advantage of our country for many years, but we're starting to have a real relationship with Pakistan, and they're to respect us as a nation again, and so are other nations,” Trump said.

President Trump said this while addressing the Values Voter Summit in Washington on Friday. His remarks came a day after Pakistan secured the release of an American-Canadian family from the clutches of the Taliban militants, five years after they were abducted.

“They are starting to respect the United States of America again,” he said and thanked the leaders of Pakistan for “what they’ve been doing”.

On Thursday, President Trump hailed the release of the hostages from Taliban captivity. He said their release was a “positive moment” for US relations with Pakistan. Trump also praised Pakistan for its willingness to “do more to provide security in the region” and said the release suggests other “countries are starting to respect the United States of America once again.”

Speaking on operations against ISIS, the US president said, "We have made great strides against ISIS, tremendous strides against ISIS...they never got hit like this before."

"They've ruthlessly slaughtered innocent Christians, along with the vicious killing of innocent Muslims and other religious minorities," he continued. "We've made their lives very, very difficult. Believe me." Trump told the audience that his administration had done more against ISIS in nine months than the Obama administration did during its tenure.