kim-jong-un-open-to-talks-with-trump

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has expressed willingness to hold talks with the United States if he can retain nuclear weapons, saying he still has good relations with Trump.

 

Trump and Kim held three rounds of high-profile summits during the first term of Trump’s office; however, the negotiations later broke down over the concessions Pyongyang was prepared to offer in discussions on its nuclear arsenal.

 

The United States demanded that Kim give up his nuclear weapons and move towards denuclearisation. The demand was swiftly rejected by Pyongyang, which said it could not be accepted.

 

While North Korea has claimed it acts responsibly with its nuclear arsenal, it has often carried out missile tests, some of which are capable of reaching the US mainland.

 

Kim said, “If the United States discards its delusional obsession with denuclearisation and, based on recognising reality, truly wishes for peaceful coexistence with us, then there is no reason we cannot meet it.”

 

“I still personally hold fond memories of the current US president,” he added.

 

Since the failure of the 2019 summit in Hanoi, Kim has insisted that his country will not give up its nuclear weapons, describing them as a guarantee of safety and deterrence for millions of Koreans against enemies.

 

Also Read : Jaishankar to meet US Secretary Rubio on sidelines of UNGA

 

He said denuclearisation was not on the table, and that the US should seek alternative options for negotiations if it wished to proceed.

 

“The world already knows well what the United States does after it forces a country to give up its nuclear arms and disarm,” he said, adding, “We will never give up our nuclear weapons.”

 

He argued that sanctions had only made North Korea stronger, building endurance and resilience that could not be crushed by any pressure, since his country had learnt to navigate around US sanctions.

 

Kim also ruled out the possibility of talks with South Korea, saying there was no reason to engage with Seoul despite repeated efforts by the South Korean president.

 

“We make it clear that we will not deal with them in any form,” he said.