Trump seeks meeting with Kim... Leader's sister: I am unaware of any communication between them
The Wall Street Journal, citing U.S. officials, reported that President Donald Trump is pressing his aides to arrange a meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un as soon as possible during the upcoming fall, seeking to revive the vigorous diplomatic efforts he launched during his first term to persuade Kim to abandon his nuclear program. However, Kim’s sister stated she was unaware of any communication between Kim and Trump.
The newspaper added that Trump discussed the possibility of holding direct talks with Kim during his upcoming trip to Asia, which could take place in November to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum hosted by China.
No official arrangements for a meeting have been made yet, but the White House confirmed that the two leaders will meet at the appropriate time.
According to the newspaper, Trump’s desire to hold another decisive meeting with Kim indicates that he is eagerly seeking a prominent achievement in foreign policy. Most presidents have refused to meet Kim—who is believed to possess dozens of nuclear warheads—without preconditions.
While Trump views another bilateral meeting as an opportunity to reopen dialogue with North Korea, analysts and some U.S. officials do not expect significant progress.
Seoul supports dialogue between Washington and Pyongyang in hopes of enhancing regional stability. However, analysts and U.S. officials have pointed out that a poor agreement could ultimately harm relations with regional allies such as South Korea.
Former Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) official Bruce Klingner said, “It appeases another tyrannical dictator based on the mistaken notion that a personal relationship will actually succeed in achieving U.S. foreign policy objectives.”
Trump attempted to meet Kim during an Asian tour last year, asking journalists aboard Air Force One to “broadcast” his desire to hold a conversation with him.
According to U.S. officials, North Korea indirectly expressed willingness to meet, but tight timing and logistical difficulties prevented the meeting from taking place.
Trump later said that holding a summit with Kim at that time might have interfered with his scheduled meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in South Korea.
Trump and Kim held three summits during Trump’s first term, beginning in Singapore in 2018, before negotiations collapsed in Hanoi in 2019 after Kim refused to agree to the complete dismantlement of his nuclear program. Trump and Kim also met in the Korean Demilitarized Zone later that year, but it failed to end the stalemate.
Analysts believe that resuming negotiations will not be easy, as North Korea’s nuclear and missile capabilities have grown since the last meeting between the two leaders.
Washington faces a greater challenge in any new negotiations, as North Korea has strengthened its ties with China and Russia, developed military cooperation with Iran, and sent thousands of troops to fight alongside Russia in the war in Ukraine, thereby granting its forces additional combat experience.
Experts believe that Kim will enter any upcoming negotiations from a stronger position, given his insistence on retaining his nuclear arsenal and his efforts to push the United States to treat North Korea as a nuclear state.
U.S. intelligence estimates indicate that North Korea continues to expand its strategic programs, including missiles and nuclear warheads. Meanwhile, a U.S. defense official warned that its nuclear forces have become more capable of targeting U.S. territory, while its missiles can strike South Korea and Japan with either nuclear or conventional warheads.
