Trump’s Team Discusses Negotiations with Kim Jong Un
World
Donald Trump’s team is considering holding direct talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in hopes of improving relations between the US and North Korea, Reuters reports.
According to the Reuters agency, Trump’s team hopes to revive direct negotiations with Kim Jong Un to restore US-North Korea relations and "break the ice" between the countries.
Based on two sources familiar with the matter, several people in Trump’s team plan to leverage existing direct communication between the US and North Korean leaders to resume dialogue.
A few days ago, Donald Trump announced that he plans to appoint Alex Wong as his Deputy National Security Advisor. Wong had previously supported direct talks between the US and North Korean leaders as a diplomatic strategy, which initially led to successful outcomes.
At the same time, it remains unclear how Kim Jong Un will respond to Trump’s efforts to rekindle contact, Reuters notes. Last week, the North Korean leader stated during a military exhibition in Pyongyang that after starting negotiations with the US, the country had "reached some distance" in talks, but Washington allegedly did not want to change its policy, bringing the US and North Korea close to nuclear war.
At the same time, Trump remains one of the few US presidents to have met personally with high-ranking North Korean officials during official meetings. During his first term, he held talks with Kim in Singapore in 2018, and a year later, there was another official meeting in Hanoi. In the summer of 2019, Trump visited the demilitarized zone on the border between North and South Korea for a third meeting with Kim Jong Un.
Trump’s primary goal in negotiations with North Korea was to achieve its denuclearization, but this goal was not realized. In the fall of 2019, Pyongyang blamed the US for the failure of talks, while Trump criticized Kim Jong Un and demanded that he "begin the denuclearization process." In response, senior North Korean official Kim Yong Chol referred to Trump as an "impatient old man," and relations between the two countries worsened.
In recent years, Kim Jong Un has been "emboldened" by North Korea’s expanding missile arsenal and strengthened ties with Moscow, writes Reuters. This, in turn, led to the signing of a "comprehensive" strategic partnership agreement between North Korea and Russia.
This may obstruct US goals. Washington has not officially changed its stance on North Korea’s denuclearization, while Russia has refrained from applying pressure on Pyongyang on this matter. For instance, in September 2023, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated that the term "denuclearization" regarding North Korea "has lost all meaning."
Moreover, in recent years, Russia has continued to assist Pyongyang in circumventing UN sanctions. In March 2024, Russia vetoed the extension of the mandate of the group monitoring the implementation of UN sanctions on North Korea. This veto was part of North Korea’s main hope of having sanctions lifted after unsuccessful talks with Washington.
Based on two sources familiar with the matter, several people in Trump’s team plan to leverage existing direct communication between the US and North Korean leaders to resume dialogue.
A few days ago, Donald Trump announced that he plans to appoint Alex Wong as his Deputy National Security Advisor. Wong had previously supported direct talks between the US and North Korean leaders as a diplomatic strategy, which initially led to successful outcomes.
At the same time, it remains unclear how Kim Jong Un will respond to Trump’s efforts to rekindle contact, Reuters notes. Last week, the North Korean leader stated during a military exhibition in Pyongyang that after starting negotiations with the US, the country had "reached some distance" in talks, but Washington allegedly did not want to change its policy, bringing the US and North Korea close to nuclear war.
At the same time, Trump remains one of the few US presidents to have met personally with high-ranking North Korean officials during official meetings. During his first term, he held talks with Kim in Singapore in 2018, and a year later, there was another official meeting in Hanoi. In the summer of 2019, Trump visited the demilitarized zone on the border between North and South Korea for a third meeting with Kim Jong Un.
Trump’s primary goal in negotiations with North Korea was to achieve its denuclearization, but this goal was not realized. In the fall of 2019, Pyongyang blamed the US for the failure of talks, while Trump criticized Kim Jong Un and demanded that he "begin the denuclearization process." In response, senior North Korean official Kim Yong Chol referred to Trump as an "impatient old man," and relations between the two countries worsened.
In recent years, Kim Jong Un has been "emboldened" by North Korea’s expanding missile arsenal and strengthened ties with Moscow, writes Reuters. This, in turn, led to the signing of a "comprehensive" strategic partnership agreement between North Korea and Russia.
This may obstruct US goals. Washington has not officially changed its stance on North Korea’s denuclearization, while Russia has refrained from applying pressure on Pyongyang on this matter. For instance, in September 2023, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated that the term "denuclearization" regarding North Korea "has lost all meaning."
Moreover, in recent years, Russia has continued to assist Pyongyang in circumventing UN sanctions. In March 2024, Russia vetoed the extension of the mandate of the group monitoring the implementation of UN sanctions on North Korea. This veto was part of North Korea’s main hope of having sanctions lifted after unsuccessful talks with Washington.
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