Donald Trump has confirmed his nominee for secretary of state - CIA boss Mike Pompeo - got on well with North Korea's leader when he travelled for secret talks last week.

Speaking before a dinner with Japan's Shinzo Abe, Mr Trump said: "I have a great deal of confidence in Mike Pompeo, he will go down as one of the great secretaries of state.

"He had a great meeting with Kim Jong Un, they got along well.

"(Pompeo) is a smart guy and he gets on well with people."

Image: Donald Trump made the comments as he hosted Japan's Shinzo Abe

It came after the US President tweeted that the meeting in Pyongyang went "very smoothly and a good relationship was formed".


"Details of Summit are being worked out now. Denuclearization will be a great thing for World, but also for North Korea!" he said.

Mr Trump also said the former CIA director was "extraordinary" and was going to "be a great leader".

Mr Pompeo is in line to be the next secretary of state after being picked by the President to replace Rex Tillerson.

The news of his visit came after President Trump appeared to say he had met Mr Kim in remarks that were later clarified by White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders.

"The President said the administration has had talks at the highest levels and added that they were not with him directly," she said.

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Image: Kim Jong Un and US President Donald Trump are finalising details of their meeting

Mr Trump is currently hosting Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, but had earlier said: "We've also started talking to North Korea directly.

"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.

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"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."

Mr Trump is due to meet Mr Kim this month, with five locations being considered for the talks, he said.

No serving US president has ever met a North Korean leader and the two countries do not have formal diplomatic relations.

The plans came after a surprise offer from Mr Kim to meet Mr Trump.

The President, who has previously traded only insults with the North Korean, accepted the offer, hailing it as "great progress".

North Korea has continued to pursue its nuclear programme and missile tests over recent years, ignoring international condemnation and UN sanctions.

It has promised to stop these while talking with the US.