U.S. President Donald Trump welcomed Mongolia's president Khaltmaa Battulga to the White House on Wednesday for talks focused on trade. Trump also named a horse that was given to his 13-year-old son by the visiting Mongolian president. 

"The United States and Mongolia have agreed that their relationship has reached the level of a 'strategic partnership,'" the White House said in a statement, noting that the two countries are building closer security ties.

Battulga was the first president from the Asian country to visit the White House since 2011. 

A senior official said Battulga wanted Trump to name the Mongolian steed, – a traditional symbolic gift for visiting dignitaries, who typically leave them behind to be cared for on the northern steppes. The ancient breed of tough, tiny horses was ridden by Genghis Khan and other warlords. 

Asked by a reporter during a brief Rose Garden photo op if he had thought of a name for the horse, Trump said, "I did: 'Victory.'" 

Later, White House spokeswoman Stephanie Grisham tweeted a photo of a dun foal scampering beside a mare, and said the horse would remain in Mongolia. "The First Family is very grateful to Mongolia for this time-honored traditional gift," Grisham said.

Mongolia has volunteered to play a part in Trump's diplomatic overtures to Pyongyang, offering to host Trump and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) leader Kim Jong Un for a summit. The country is accessible by rail from the DPRK. 

(With input from Reuters)