South Korean President Moon Jae-in said Wednesday that President Donald Trump “deserves big credit” for “bringing about the inter-Korean talks” held Tuesday amid heightened tensions between hyper-antagonistic and nuclear-armed North Korea and its southern neighbor.

Prior to Tuesday’s meeting, North Korea and South Korea had not engaged in such talks for more than two years, due to the former’s nuclear missile programs. But Moon believes Trump’s stern rhetoric and support for stricter sanctions — along with the ability to pressure foreign nations into hampering North Korea’s nuclear quest — have helped the two countries reach the point once again where they could sit down and discuss important issues.

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“I think President Trump deserves big credit for bringing about the inter-Korean talks. I want to show my gratitude,” Moon told reporters at a news conference, Reuters reported. “It could be a resulting work of the U.S.-led sanctions and pressure.”

Trump used Twitter frequently throughout 2017 to warn North Korea against taking nuclear action, push other nations to aid the U.S. in the denuclearization effort, and mock North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

In August, Trump tweeted that “military solutions are now fully in place, locked and loaded, should North Korea act unwisely.” The president warned North Korea in August he would unleash “fire, fury and frankly power, the likes of which this world has never seen before” if Kim continued developing nuclear-armed missiles capable of hitting the continental U.S.

Following a meeting with Moon in June, Trump said the “era of strategic patience with the North Korean regime has failed.” Trump also dubbed Kim “little Rocket Man” on multiple occasions.

Trump tweeted on January 4, “With all of the failed ‘experts’ weighing in, does anybody really believe that talks and dialogue would be going on between North and South Korea right now if I wasn’t firm, strong and willing to commit our total ‘might’ against the North. Fools, but talks are a good thing!”

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Moon concurred with that, saying it is “our basic stance that will never be given up” while the two countries seek the right conditions in which “certain achievements are guaranteed.”

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The two nations discussed the upcoming Winter Olympics in South Korea and reached an agreement in which North Korea said it would send a delegation.

The U.S. and South Korea also agreed to postpone previously scheduled joint military exercises until after the Olympics.

“This initial round of talks is for the improvement of relations between North and South Korea. Our task going forward is to draw North Korea to talks aimed at the denuclearization of the North,” Moon said. “The purpose of it shouldn’t be talks for the sake of talks.”

Related: Nikki Haley Says ‘No Turnaround’ in Trump’s Tough Talk on North Korea

“We cannot say talks are the sole answer,” Moon added. “If North Korea engages in provocations again or does not show sincerity in resolving this issue, the international community will continue applying strong pressure and sanctions.”

The White House released a statement on Wednesday detailing Trump’s phone call with Moon, noting that Trump “expressed his openness to holding talks between the United States and North Korea at the appropriate time, under the right circumstances.”

PoliZette writer Kathryn Blackhurst can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter.

(photo credit, homepage: Donald Trump, cut out and colored, CC BY-SA 2.0, by Gage Skidmore / Moon Jae-in the 19th President of Republic of Korea, mirrored, CC BY-SA 2.0, Republic of Korea; photo credit, article image: President Donald J. Trump receives a Hurricane Harvey Response Update…, CC 0, by Petty Officer 1st Class Patrick Kelley / Moon Jae-in the 19th President of Republic of KoreaCC BY-SA 2.0, Republic of Korea)