Washington, DC [US], August 19 (ANI): US President Donald Trump has confirmed that he expects to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un later this year.
On being asked by reporters on the South Lawn regarding the potential meeting between the two leaders, Trump confirmed, "Yeah, I will be. I'll be doing this too."
Further, Trump emphasised his personal relationship with the North Korean leader, asserting that their rapport is beneficial for international relations.
"I get along with him right. And you know what, the fact that I get along with him, that's a good thing, not a bad thing," Trump said, addressing the status of their interactions.
During the exchange, Trump noted North Korea's nuclear capabilities, stating that Kim "has 57 very powerful nuclear weapons" and arguing that the stockpile "should have never been allowed" to develop.
"If I were president, I wouldn't have allowed it. But he's got 'em. I get along with him very well. You can't let Iran have a nuclear weapon," Trump remarked.
Defending his approach to North Korea, Trump expressed confidence in the outlook for the region based on US leadership.
"I know Kim Jong Un very well. And he's gonna be fine. As long as we have a smart president, he's gonna be fine. If we have a dumb president, then he's probably not gonna be so fine," Trump stated.
Earlier on Tuesday (local time), President Donald Trump said North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has always treated him with "great respect", highlighting their personal rapport and saying his approach is aimed at making the situation on the Korean Peninsula safer.
Speaking to reporters, Trump said he had met Kim on multiple occasions and that the two leaders understood each other. Trump contrasted his relationship with Kim with the North Korean leader's reported views of previous US presidents.
"Kim Jong Un has always treated me with great respect, and we met on two primary occasions, spoke, and spent time. I understand him. He understands me. I get along with him. You know, he didn't like Biden, he didn't like Obama, he didn't like anybody, but I get along with him very well. Now, what I'm doing is making things safer, just the opposite," Trump said.
This comes after Trump instructed Secretary of War Pete Hegseth to "substantially reduce" joint military exercises with South Korea, citing his relationship with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and describing the drills as costly and inappropriate.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump said he was "not happy" that the United States had previously agreed to participate in joint military exercises with South Korea.
"Based on my very good relationship with Kim Jong Un, of North Korea, I am not happy with the fact that the United States has, long ago, agreed to participate in Joint Military Exercises with South Korea," Trump said.
If true, this would be Trump's first meeting with the North Korean leader during his second term as US President.
Between 2018 and 2019, US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un met face-to-face three times in unprecedented direct leader-to-leader diplomacy.
Their first historic encounter took place at the Singapore Summit in June 2018 at Sentosa Island. According to Fox News, both leaders signed a broad joint declaration agreeing to establish new bilateral relations, build a lasting peace regime, work toward the complete denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula, and recover American war remains.
Following the meeting, President Trump unilaterally announced the suspension of major US-South Korea joint military exercises, calling them "provocative war games"
The leaders met for a second time at the Hanoi Summit in Vietnam in February 2019. As documented by CNN, negotiations broke down over sanctions relief and the scope of nuclear dismantlement. The North Korean delegation offered to decommission the main Yongbyon nuclear facility in exchange for major economic sanctions relief, but the American side insisted on broader denuclearization across undisclosed sites, leading the summit to end early without a signed agreement.
Their final meeting occurred in June 2019 at the Korean Demilitarized Zone in Panmunjom. As reported by CNN and NBC News, Trump stepped across the Military Demarcation Line into North Korean territory, becoming the first sitting US president to set foot in North Korea.
Joined briefly by South Korean President Moon Jae-in, the two leaders held a 50-minute private talk inside the Freedom House and agreed to restart working-level nuclear negotiations. (ANI)
"Yeah, I will be": Trump confirms plan to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un this year
