Trump praises Kim Jong Un, calls North Korea a 'big nuclear nation'

US President Donald Trump stated that there had been communication between his administration and North Korea. He referred to the DPRK as a "big nuclear nation" and its leader, Kim Jong Un, as a "smart guy."

When asked whether he planned to resume contact with Pyongyang or personally reach out to Kim Jong Un, Trump responded that he would "do something at some point."

"We have a great relationship... He is a smart guy," Trump said.

He also noted that maintaining contact with Kim is important but did not specify what steps he had in mind.

In 2018, Trump became the first US president to hold personal negotiations with Kim in Singapore.

Later, in 2019, two more meetings took place, but they did not yield any results, as the parties failed to agree on North Korea's denuclearization in exchange for sanctions relief.

The situation worsened after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine when North Korea began actively cooperating with Moscow in the military sphere.

According to former Biden administration officials, no significant progress has been made in curbing North Korea’s missile and nuclear ambitions, although the US has called for dialogue between the countries without preconditions.

There is speculation that during his second presidential term, Trump might resume negotiations with Kim Jong Un but without demanding the complete dismantling of North Korea’s nuclear arsenal.

Last week, Kim Jong Un’s influential sister, Kim Yo Jong, criticized the Trump administration for escalating "provocations", stating that this justified Pyongyang’s increased nuclear deterrence efforts.

This week, North Korea launched several ballistic missiles - the first such test since Trump took office as president.

In the first days following his inauguration, Trump stated his intention to resume negotiations with Kim Jong Un. He also once again referred to North Korea as a "nuclear state."