United States President Donald Trump on Monday, May 1, said that he would be "honoured" to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong-un under right circumstances, even as Pyongyang said that US is pushing the Korean Peninsula to the brink of war.
"If it would be appropriate for me to meet with him, I would absolutely, I would be honoured to do it," Trump told Bloomberg News, comments that drew criticism in Washington. "Under the right circumstances I would meet with him," Trump said.
Trump did not elaborate on what would be the right conditions for the leaders of the two nations to set their dispute aside and meet. The White House, however, said later that North Korea would need to meet many conditions before such talks could be arranged.
The Republican, during his presidential campaign last year had said that he would be willing to meet Kim Jong-un. Trump's administration since then has said that Pyongyang must agree to abandon its nuclear and missile programme before relations between the countries can improve. The US has also pressured North Korea economically and diplomatically and has stated that "military options" remain on the table if the Korean nation continues with its nuclear ambitions.
White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer said that such a meeting would not happen anytime soon. "Clearly conditions are not there right now," Spicer said.
Last Friday (April 28), US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson had told the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) that Washington would not negotiate with North Korea. US Vice President Mike Pence had also said last week that the US president had clearly stated that "the era of strategic patience is over."
North Korea has has carried out a total of five nuclear tests so far, and according to an expert satellite imagery analysis, Pyongyang may be preparing for a sixth test soon.
The Kim Jong-un-ruled country has also issued multiple threats of attacks to the US, South Korea and Japan, issuing the latest against US last Sunday (April 30) warning the nation that the North is ready to destroy a US nuclear-powered aircraft carrier deployed in Korean waters, with a single strike.
Trump's willingness to meet Kim and his unusual praise for the North Korean leader as "a pretty smart cookied" has sparked concerns among many over his approach to North Korea.
"I don't see much coherence in the Trump administration's statements," said Bonnie Glaser, an Asia expert at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies in Washington was quoted as saying by Reuters. "If there is to be any hope of getting Kim Jong-un back to the negotiating table to discuss denuclearisation, the US has to articulate a clear position."
