Trump on North Korea if he wins: Keep nuclear weapons, sanctions to be eased up
Photo: Kim Jong Un and Donald Trump (flickr.com)
Donald Trump, if he returns to power in the United States, would be willing to offer North Korea the opportunity to keep its nuclear weapons and lift sanctions, according to Politico.
"Trump is considering a plan to let North Korea keep its nuclear weapons and offer its regime financial incentives to stop making new bombs," the material states.
This move would mark a sharp departure from his previous position on the issue and a shift towards actions favoring North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un, with whom Trump had exceptionally friendly relations during his term.
Politico reports that Trump may be ready to abandon attempts to persuade Kim Jong Un to dismantle his country's nuclear weapons, even if he wins the presidential elections in 2024.
Trump might consider arms control negotiations futile and instead focus on a broader task - competition with China.
Trump may lift sanctions on North Korea
One of the sources told the publication that Trump is very interested in reaching agreements with North Korea.
According to informed individuals, one idea Trump is considering is to encourage North Korea to freeze its nuclear program and cease developing new weapons in exchange for relief from economic sanctions and some other form of assistance.
This would also require the creation of a verification system to ensure that North Korea keeps its word.
"It is possible that Trump could still pursue denuclearization as a long-term goal, but it would be a departure from standard U.S. policy to strike even a near-term deal with North Korea that doesn’t state that explicitly," Politico added.
Who Trump's policy might impact
If Trump softens his approach, it may worry allies such as South Korea and Japan and unsettle members of his own party who prefer a more robust approach to North Korea.
This could also make the former president the subject of criticism for hypocrisy, as he consistently criticized Barack Obama's administration for easing economic troubles for Iran in exchange for stopping its progress toward creating its first nuclear weapon.
While president, Trump withdrew the U.S. from the Iran nuclear deal negotiated during Obama's time. Trump's discussions on North Korea's strategy also signal that the former president is confident in his frontrunner status within the Republican Party for the elections and is focusing on issues that concerned him during his presidency.
North Korea's nuclear program
The term refers to the scientific research activities of North Korea in the creation of nuclear warheads and the means for their delivery by carrier rockets.
On February 10, 2005, North Korea openly declared its possession of nuclear weapons for the first time. The first nuclear explosion was conducted on October 9, 2006. In April 2012, amendments regarding the nuclear status of the country were made to North Korea's constitution.
North Korea's nuclear program and missile launches have raised concerns, leading the United States and Japan to impose harsh sanctions against North Korea. Despite formal condemnation, China remains a military ally and economic partner of North Korea.
U.S.-North Korea relations in the nuclear sphere
Recently, the United States, South Korea, and Japan initiated new trilateral efforts to counter threats from North Korea.
In early November, it was reported that North Korea intends to enhance its nuclear weapon development in response to the recent test launch of a U.S. intercontinental ballistic missile.
Earlier in the year, the U.S. Secretary of Defense, Lloyd Austin, stated that the U.S. is prepared to respond to North Korean aggression with various weapons, including nuclear arms.
