President Trump spoke by phone Saturday with Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte — praising the strongman for “fighting very hard to rid his country of drugs” and inviting him to Washington.
The two leaders also discussed regional security, including concerns over South Korea, the White House said in a statement.
No details were given on when Duterte would visit the US, but Trump also said he looked forward to visiting the Philippines in November for a summit with other Asian nations.
By the Philippines national police’s own accounting, Duterte’s bloody war on drugs has resulted in at least 6,000 extra-judicial deaths.