U.S. President Donald Trump hosts a bilateral meeting with Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida U.S., April 17, 2018. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday the United States has been having direct talks with North Korea “at extremely high levels” to try to arrange a summit between him and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

“We’ve also started talking to North Korea directly,” he said at a picture-taking session with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. “We have had direct talks at very high levels, extremely high levels, with North Korea. And I really believe this allows good will, that good things are happening. We’ll see what happens, as they always say, we’ll see what happens, because ultimately it’s the end result that counts, not the fact that we’re thinking about having a meeting or having a meeting.”