- US President Donald Trump has stated that he plans to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un later this year in a new development days after he ordered Pentagon officials to curtail joint military exercises with South Korea to avoid sending a hostile message.
- "I know Kim Jong Un very well, and he's going to be fine as long as we have a smart president," Trump told reporters on Wednesday. "The fact that I get along with him - that's a good thing, not a bad thing. He has 57 very powerful nuclear weapons. .. They should have never allowed it. If I were president, I wouldn't have allowed it. But he's got them."
- Reports suggest Trump has instructed aides to arrange an in-person meeting with Kim as early as autumn as part of an effort to revive diplomatic engagement during his second term.
- Kim Jong Un's sister, Kim Yo Jong, described the relationship between the two leaders as "truly great", though she expressed ongoing concern regarding US military activities near the Korean peninsula.
- The proposed talks follow historic summits held in 2018 and 2019 that ultimately broke down over denuclearisation demands, with Trump continuing to maintain that his rapport with Kim is a positive diplomatic asset.
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