Trump expects trade deal with UK to be completed 'very, very quickly'

Theresa May meets Donald Trump during the G20 summit. Photograph: Matt Cardy/Getty Images

The US president, Donald Trump, has said he expects a trade deal with the UK to be completed “very, very quickly” and confirmed he will be coming to London, ahead of a bilateral meeting with Theresa May on Saturday.

Trump and the British prime minister began a meeting as part of a series of bilateral discussions with leaders at the G20 summit in Hamburg aimed at boosting the UK’s trade position after it leaves the European Union.

A UK official said that the meeting with Trump would focus on “progress with a post-Brexit US-UK trade agreement”.

The US president also hailed the “very special relationship” he had developed with May as the pair met for talks on the margins of the G20. Trump said he expected an agreement on new trading arrangements with Britain to be a “very powerful” one that would be great for both countries.

However, it wasn’t clear that he was referring to a full free trade agreement as he said trade would be a big factor. The US president also said he had a “tremendous” meeting with Russia’s president Putin.

“There is no country that could possibly be closer than our countries,” Trump said. “We have been working on a trade deal which will be a very, very big deal a very powerful deal, great for both countries and I think we will have that done very, very quickly.”

He added: “Prime Minister May and I have developed a very special relationship and I think trade will be a very big factor between our two countries.”

Trump’s comments are unlikely to signal any confirmed trade deal being announced soon. The US president has consistently pledged to put American interests before those of any ally countries and a UK-US deal remains a long way from being agreed.

He also said he “will be going to London” and asked when, he replied: “We’ll work that out.”

As well as seeing Trump, May will meet the Turkish president, Recep Tayipp Erdoğan, and the prime ministers of Japan and India, Shinzō Abe and Narendra Modi.

The prime minister is making a point of reaching out beyond her European counterparts, with officials repeatedly stressing the need for strong economic relationships after Brexit at the summit.

“The PM said as we get ready to leave, Britain would be wanting to build on its trade agreements with countries outside the EU,” the UK official added.

May’s discussions are not about details of an actual trade arrangement but more an opportunity to signal that she is looking beyond the EU for future economic relationships. But Trump’s warm words are unlikely to shift his position on acting in the US interests.

His focus at the G20 has been to robustly assert his “America first” desire. During trade talks on Friday a western diplomatic source told the Guardian how Trump had crossed his arms as China’s president, Xi Jinping, spoke during a session on trade, with a “face like thunder”.

With Trump, May will also discuss North Korea, and raise the question of the US decision to withdraw from the Paris agreement. The pair could also face some tension over free trade after May used a working lunch on the issue to warn that many citizens weren’t benefiting from growth across the world but taking a very different tone to the US president.

“That is why G20 needs to go further and faster – the answer cannot be to retreat, turn to protectionism or abandon trade,” she told the group. “In fact the answer must be to increase free trade because it is free trade that provides the best opportunity to driving global growth, it is free trade which combined with right domestic policies provides best opportunities to raise living standards.”

On Friday, May met President Xi of China for 30 minutes, in which she raised questions over North Korea and steel dumping, but also talked of a “golden era” of relations between the two countries.

A senior No 10 official said the session began with the president saying that Chinese investment into Britain had increased since the Brexit vote, and that was a sign of confidence in the country.

“He said that Brexit was a very big event for the world but that he believed a prosperous and stable and open UK and prosperous and stable and open EU would be positive for the world and that China would work to further promote its interests with Britain and with the European Union,” they said.

May said that as the UK got ready to leave the EU it wanted to build on trade agreements with other countries, including China. The official added: “The prime minister said because the countries have such a strong relationship they can discuss the areas in which they have differences.”

In particular, she talked about overproduction of steel, and said she wanted China to put more pressure on North Korea.

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