President-elect Donald Trump is allegedly thinking of reopening direct negotiations with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.
According to a recent report from Reuters and other sources familiar with the discussions, Trump is seriously considering the idea as part of a broader strategy to reduce the risk of conflict and re-engage with North Korea diplomatically.
Trump, who met Kim on three occasions during his first term, including the historic summit in Hanoi and the unprecedented walk across the Korean border in 2019, is said to be aiming for a fresh diplomatic push with the isolated leader.
Trump’s administration had previously worked to establish a personal rapport with North Korea, with both men exchanging what Trump described as “beautiful” letters and public gestures of goodwill in the past. However, that reconciliation seems to have stalled in the following years.
Yet, Trump’s team now believes that a direct approach could lead to a new breakthrough with Kim, much as it did during his first term, despite North Korea’s lack of concrete progress on denuclearization, per ZeroHedge.
Earlier this year, at the Republican National Convention, Trump told the crowd confidently, “I got along very well with him (Kim Jong-Un). You know, it’s nice to get along with somebody that has a lot of nuclear weapons… We stopped the missile launches from North Korea, now North Korea is acting up again… I think he misses me if you want to know the truth.”
As of now, the road to any renewed talks with Pyongyang seems far away. On the North Korean side, Kim Jong-un has recently appeared less than eager to restart negotiations with America.
In a recent speech, the North Korean leader criticized the U.S. for its “aggressive and hostile” policies and dismissed the value of past talks with Washington, claiming that North Korea had already “explored every possible avenue” in its dealings with the U.S.
Additionally, North Korea has continued to ramp up its military since the initial talks with Trump, including expanding its nuclear arsenal and conducting multiple missile tests. As a result, any renewed negotiations would likely come with significant demands, particularly regarding lifting sanctions, which Pyongyang has long maintained are a major obstacle to peace.
North Korea’s recent support for Russia in the ongoing Ukraine conflict has also added another layer of tension and complexity toward rebuilding a relationship with the West.
Kim Jong-un’s decision to send 10,000 troops to support Russian forces in the Ukraine War immediately raised further concerns about the deepening ties between Pyongyang and Moscow, leading many to question how Trump will navigate future talks with North Korea.