U.S. President Donald Trump stated on Thursday that he still maintains a good relationship with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, with whom he met several times during his first term. Trump once again referred to North Korea as a "nuclear power."
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When asked by reporters at a meeting in the Oval Office with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte about his plans to resume relations with Kim, Trump said, "I have a great relationship with Kim Jong Un, and we’ll see what happens, but he is definitely a nuclear power."
On January 20, when he began his second term, Trump referred to North Korea as a "nuclear power," raising questions about whether he would seek talks to limit weapons rather than negotiations for nuclear disarmament if communications with Pyongyang were to resume.
After mentioning the nuclear arsenals of Russia and China, Trump said, "It would be a great achievement if we could reduce the numbers. We have a lot of weapons, and our power is very strong."
He added, "First, there’s no need to go that far. Then we need to involve others, because, as you know... Kim Jong Un has a lot of nuclear weapons... and others have them too. There’s India, Pakistan, and other countries that possess them, and we’re involving them in the matter."
When asked about what Trump’s comments might represent in terms of a shift in policy toward North Korea’s nuclear weapons, a White House official said, "President Trump will seek the complete denuclearization of North Korea, just as he did in his first term."
On February 15, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, along with his Japanese and South Korean counterparts, reaffirmed their "strong commitment to the complete denuclearization" of North Korea.
Last week, Kim Yo Jong, the influential sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, criticized the Trump administration for escalating "provocations," saying this justifies North Korea’s strengthening of its nuclear deterrence.
In recent days, North Korea launched several ballistic missiles for the first time since Trump assumed office.
Reuters
