As President Donald Trump headed to Malaysia on the first leg of his Asia tour, he told the media to “put out the word” that he would like to meet with North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un.
“They have a lot of nuclear weapons, but not a lot of telephone service,” Trump said on Friday. The President met with Kim three times during his first administration. While the summits led to a significant decrease in tensions on the Korean Peninsula, Trump failed to make a deal with Kim.
Since Trump returned to the White House, top North Korean officials have said that Kim is willing to meet the President again, but Washington must remove its demand that Pyongyang give up its nuclear weapons. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has restated the long-standing policy in Washington that any deal with Pyongyang must include denuclearization.
The Wall Street Journal spoke with current and former US officials who admitted that North Korea was unlikely to give up its nuclear weapons. Trump referred to North Korea as “sort of a nuclear power.” He added, “I know how many weapons they have. I know everything about them. They have a lot of nuclear weapons.”
Two US officials said that the US had not reached out to Kim before the summit, and Trump’s statement was the first invitation to North Korea for a head-of-state meeting.
While North Korea has not committed to meeting with the US, Kim has noted that he has a positive relationship with Trump.
