US President Donald Trump says he proposed the elimination of tariffs in talks at the G7 summit in Canada, as the major industrial nations struggled to resolve differences on trade. Mr Trump said talks with fellow leaders were "extremely productive" despite tensions over his decision to impose tariffs on steel and aluminium imports.
US allies were furious over the move, raising fears of a global trade war.
Mr Trump left early for a landmark meeting with North Korea's leader.
He is travelling to Singapore to meet with Kim Jong-un on Tuesday to try to persuade him to give up the country's nuclear weapons.
Briefing reporters before he left the town of La Malbaie, in Quebec province, Mr Trump denied that the G7 summit had been contentious. "No tariffs, no barriers. That's the way it should be. And no subsidies. I even said, 'no tariffs'," the US president said, describing his meetings with fellow Group of Seven leaders as positive "on the need to have fair and reciprocal trade".
"The United States has been taken advantage of for decades and decades," he continued, describing America as a "piggy bank that everyone keeps robbing".
President Trump warned against such moves, calling it a "mistake" and said if it gets as far as a trade war, then the US would "win that war a thousand times out of a thousand".
With divisions over trade laid bare, it still unclear whether a communique agreed by each G7 member will be released when the summit concludes later on Saturday.
On 1 June, the US imposed a 25% tariff for steel and 10% for aluminium on imports from the EU, Canada, and Mexico. Mr Trump said the move would protect domestic producers that were vital to US security.
What is the G7?
It is an annual summit bringing together Canada, the US, the UK, France, Italy, Japan and Germany, which represent more than 60% of global net worth between them.
Economics tops the agenda, although the meetings now always branch off to cover major global issues.
Russia was suspended from the group in 2014 because of its annexation of Crimea from Ukraine. On Friday, Mr Trump made a surprise call for Moscow to be readmitted, but German Chancellor Angela Merkel said other members were against the idea.
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FACEBOOK COMMENTS
Emeka Falake
I thought Russia and America are not on good terms, why is trump calling for inclusion of Russia in G7
Endy Edeson
Because he has personal interest with Russia but that interest is not supported by his allies
Endy Edeson
@Epu: If it were to be in Nigeria, people will say Trump is using "Juju" on them. But seriously, Trump is very bold. To be America's president , one must be very tough.
Niyeck Nandack
He is the most erratic person I have ever heard about. Very unpredictable and moody. How can someone of that caliber append his signature on a document with other world leaders and less than 2 hours later, he is making a u-turn?