Jerusalem: Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani on Wednesday boasted that Donald Trump's tough line had forced the North Korean leader to beg to re-schedule a high-profile summit after the President abruptly called off the meeting last month.
After the cancellation, "Kim Jong-un got back on his hands and knees and begged for it, which is exactly the position you want to put him in," Giuliani told a business conference in Tel Aviv, Israel.
Later, in an interview with the Associated Press, Giuliani rejected suggestions that such comments might sour the atmosphere ahead of next week's summit, saying that the North Korean leader must understand that the United States is in a position of strength.
"It is pointing out that the President is the stronger figure," Giuliani said. "And you're not going to have useful negotiations unless he accepts that."
Giuliani said Trump had no choice but to call off the meeting after the North Koreans insulted Vice President Mike Pence, National Security Adviser John Bolton and threatened "nuclear annihilation" of the US.
Giuliani said Kim quickly changed his position, expressed willingness to discuss denuclearisation and asked to have the meeting again.
Giuliani, Trump's lawyer in the Russian investigation, noted that he was sharing a personal opinion and was not part of the US foreign policy team.
The former United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York and strong supporter of Israel, was in Israel for a number of appearances, including a speech to a Tel Aviv business conference earlier in the day and an address late on Wednesday to OneFamily, a group that supports Israeli families whose loved ones have been wounded or killed in Palestinian attacks.
Speaking earlier in the day, Giuliani also suggested high-pressure tactics should be used with the Palestinian Authority, which has cut off ties with the US to protest Trump's decision to recognise contested Jerusalem as Israel's capital.
Giuliani is leading the defence of Trump in special counsel Robert Mueller's Russia interference investigation.
Trump's team and allies have waged a public relations campaign against Mueller and the Justice Department to discredit the investigation and soften the impact of potential findings. In the latest salvo, Giuliani accused Mueller of trying to "frame" the President.
Giuliani rejected criticism that the defence team was attacking the justice system or public institutions.