Donald Trump said on Saturday a meeting with North Korea’s Kim Jong-un could happen over the next three to four weeks as he took credit for "everything" to do with the peace talks in the region.
The President made the comments in a campaign style rally in Michigan, during which he stepped up his trade attacks on the European Union and renewed criticism of the new American embassy’s "horrible location" in London.
Discussing the recent Korean summit and the fast-moving diplomacy taking place in the region, Mr Trump compared the optimistic mood to the rhetoric a few months ago.
"Do you remember what they were saying? ‘He’s going to get us into nuclear war’," Mr Trump recalled, referring to a fiery war-of-words between himself and Kim that preceded a diplomatic breakthrough.
He added: "No, strength is going to keep us out of nuclear war, not going to get us in!"
The US president added he was cautiously optimistic over the outcome.
AP
"I think we will have a meeting over the next three or four weeks that will be a very important meeting… but we’ll see how it goes.
"And again, whatever happens, happens. Look, I may go in. It may not work out. I leave," he continued, adding he would avoid the mistakes of the Obama administration which arrived at a denuclearisation deal with Iran.
"We’re going to have hopefully a very successful negotiation over the next three or four weeks. And we’ll be doing the world a big favour. We’ll be doing the world a big favour."
The US president also took credit for the inter-Korean meeting on Friday, at which Kim and South Korean President Moon Jae-in agreed on a commitment to sign a peace treaty to formally end the Korean War by the end of the year and to achieve the complete denuclearisation of the peninsula.
Reuters
“I had one of the fake news groups this morning. They were saying, ‘what do you think President Trump had to do with it?’” Mr Trump said. “I’ll tell you what. Like, how about everything?”
During a meandering speech in which he took aim at familiar political targets, Mr Trump attacked the European Union, China other nations over trade, threatening to "take on" the bloc and superpower.
He said the EU "sounds so nice" but it was "formed to take advantage of the United States".
Click Here: All Blacks Rugby Jersey
The European Union was temporarily spared from a round of tariffs on metal imports imposed by Mr Trump’s administration in March, although the exemption is due to expire in the coming days.
How soybeans sow discontent in trade war
Pledging to support US farmers, Mr Trump accused Brussels of putting up barriers and called for markets to be opened up.
"When we take on China or the European Union, which has tremendous blocks, it’s very hard for us to sell stuff into the European Union. It was put there to take advantage of the United States, OK."
Responding to a member of the crowd shouting "not anymore", he replied: "You’re right. Not anymore. We told them that yesterday actually, we said the same words ‘not anymore’. Those days are over.
"But we’ve got to open up these markets. It’s not fair."
The President also renewed his criticism of the new US embassy in London, saying it is in a "lousy" and "horrible" location and cost too much.
The US president, who is visiting the UK on July 13, lashed out again at the move from Grosvenor Square in the centre of the capital to Nine Elms south of the Thames.
At a rally in Michigan, he said: "In the UK, in London, we had the best site in all of London. The best site. Well, some genius said, we’re gonna sell the site and then we’re going to take the money and build a new embassy…
"They go out and they buy a horrible location. And they build a new embassy. That’s the good news. The bad news is it cost over a billion dollars."
US embassy new location
Mr Trump blamed his predecessors for the project, calling it a "Bush-Obama special", adding later: "Hopefully we’ll have many years of success with that embassy."
It is not the first time Mr Trump has attacked the decision to relocate the embassy. In January, he said he would not travel to the UK the following month to open the new embassy, blaming the "bad deal" to move it to an "off location".
However US and UK sources have suggested concerns over protests in London and continued hostility to a visit from the Labour leadership was a bigger reason for the cancellation.
The trip in July will not be the full state visit offered to Mr Trump just days after his inauguration, for which a date has yet to be set.
When he pays a flying 24-hour visit in the summer, the President will meet the Queen and go to Chequers but largely avoid London amid fears of mass protests.