Video report by ITV News Washington Correspondent Robert Moore

Donald Trump hopes to make Brexit a "great thing" by offering Britain a "fair" trade deal soon after he enters office.

In his first UK interview as President-elect, the billionaire told The Times that Prime Minister Theresa May will be invited to visit the incoming President "right after" he is inaugurated on Friday.

He also said he wants a trade deal settled between the two countries "very quickly" and revealed he was looking forward to visiting Britain, as well as discussing his Scottish grandmother's pride in the Queen.

What did Trump tell The Times?

Angela Merkel's migration policy was a ­“catastrophic mistake”

Other countries will follow the UK in leaving the EU

Europeans travelling to the US could face travel restrictions

He branded Nato "obsolete", claiming it has not tackled terrorism and other countries "aren't paying their fair share"

He hopes to agree a nuclear weapons reduction deal with Russia

The 2003 invasion of Iraq was the US's "worst ever mistake"

Theresa May sent Trump a book written by Winston Churchill

Speaking to the newspaper, Trump said he hoped to quickly secure a trade between the UK and US that was fair.

During the hour-long interview at Trump Tower in New York, the 70-year-old said he "loved" the UK.

Speaking of a UK-US trade deal, Trump said: "We’re gonna work very hard to get it done quickly and done properly. Good for both sides.

“I will be ­meeting with [Mrs May]. She’s requesting a meeting and we’ll have a meeting right after I get into the White House and it’ll be, I think we’re gonna get something done very quickly.”

Trump wants a nuclear weapons reduction deal with Vladimir Putin. Credit: PA

The President-elect appeared confident about the prospects for Brexit, saying he believed it could be a "great thing".

He was also pleased about the fall in the value of the pound, which made British products more attractive abroad.

But Trump was not as optimistic about the EU, and even said the bloc's migration policy had contributed significantly in Britain's vote to leave.

“I do believe this, if they [EU countries] hadn’t been forced to take in all of the refugees, so many, with all the ­problems that it . . . entails, I think that you wouldn’t have a Brexit," he said.

"It probably could have worked out but this was the final straw, this was the final straw that broke the camel’s back."

Predicting a further exodus of EU membership, he added: "I think it’s very tough. People, countries want their own identity and the UK wanted its own identity."

He said that he believed "others will leave".

Angela Merkel's migration policy was 'catastrophic,' according to Trump. Credit: PA

In the interview, Trump was critical of German Chancellor Merkel's migration policy, which he described as "catastrophic".

But he insisted he had respect for Merkel and will start off by trusting her, as well as Russian leader Vladimir Putin.

On Russia, Trump indicated that he hoped that a deal could be done to reduce ­nuclear capability in return for dropping some sanctions on Moscow.

"They have sanctions on Russia - let’s see if we can make some good deals with Russia," he said.

"For one thing, I think nuclear weapons should be way down and reduced very substantially, that’s part of it."