US President Donald Trump on Wednesday defended his work to settle a nuclear deal with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, saying he has given up nothing but his time during a June summit yet stands on the cusp of denuclearizing the North.
In a wide-ranging news conference on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, Trump said that despite tough US sanctions against the North staying in place, he believes that Kim wants to get a deal done because of their close ties.
“We have a very good relationship. He likes me, I like him, we get along,” Trump said. “He wants to make a deal and I’d like to make a deal.”
Photo: EPA-EFE
However, he would not put a time frame on when the two leaders might settle the standoff.
Trump and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo are trying to get past the deadlock that has followed the Singapore summit.
Pompeo is planning to visit Pyongyang next month to prepare for a second Kim-Trump summit.
Pompeo met earlier on Wednesday with North Korean Minister of Foreign Affairs Ri Yong-ho at the UN General Assembly meeting. Pompeo said on Twitter that his meeting with Ri was “very positive.”
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Wednesday also said that he wants to meet with Kim, although no details had been decided on yet.
Trump’s optimistic comments come amid widespread skepticism that Kim will actually relinquish an arsenal that Pyongyang likely sees as the only way to guarantee the Kim dynasty’s continued authoritarian rule.
Also at the UN session, South Korean President Moon Jae-in said that high-level diplomacy has “removed the shadow of war” that hung over the Korean Peninsula.
“Over the past year, something miraculous has taken place on the Korean Peninsula,” Moon said. “We have crossed the barriers of division and are tearing down the walls in our heart.”
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