Trump ignores Khashoggi killing, praises Salman

US President Donald Trump on Saturday called Saudi Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salman a "friend," and ignored numerous questions about whether he planned to discuss the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

Osaka:US President Donald Trump ignored questions regarding the mysterious killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi during his meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salman here on Saturday.

During a working breakfast on the second day of the G20 summit, several reporters asked him whether he would raise the issue of Khashoggi with Salman, but the President ignored them and seemed irritated by the question.

Rather Trump praised the Crown Prince for taking steps to "open up" the kingdom and extend freedoms to Saudi women.

After Saturday's meeting, the White House said that the leaders had discussed "the importance of human rights issues", but it did not mention the journalist's case.

Khashoggi, a US resident, Washington Post columnist and a critic of his country's government, was murdered inside the Saudi Arabian consulate in Istanbul, Turkey, on October 2, 2018.