Trump on Monday hinted at fresh interactions with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, saying his relationship with the North Korean leader was helping make the situation safer
US President Donald Trump on Monday hinted at fresh interactions with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, saying his relationship with the North Korean leader was helping make the situation safer.
Trump’s comments came a day after he ordered a scaling back of US military exercises with ally South Korea and praised his relationship with Kim.
Asked why Kim had not responded to his requests for a conversation, AFP quoted Trump as telling reporters in the Oval Office, “How do you know he hasn’t responded?”
When pressed on whether Kim had actually responded, Trump paused before replying: “Yeah, he has.”
Asked about the current stage of his conversations with Kim, Trump added: “it’s very positive” but offered no further details.
Trump announced the reduction in military exercises on Sunday, just hours before they were scheduled to begin. He cited his positive relationship with Kim and South Korea’s lack of support over Iran.
The president also rejected criticism that he was placing the interests of adversaries such as North Korea ahead of those of long-standing US allies.
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Trump argued that his approach to Kim was helping make the world safer.
“I’m making it much safer. I’m actually making it much safer. Kim Jong Un has always treated me with great respect. And we met on numerous occasions, actually two primary occasions. Spoken and spent time,” CNN quoted Trump as saying, referring to his meetings with Kim during his first administration.
“I understand him. He understands me. … I get along with him very well. What I’m doing is making things safer,” he added.
Last year, Trump administration officials privately discussed arranging a meeting between Trump and Kim during the president’s October trip to Asia.
CNN previously reported that Trump’s initial outreach to the North Korean leader earlier in 2025 received no response because North Korean officials would not accept the letter.
With inputs from agencies