US President Donald Trump said he has a good relationship with Kim Jong Un and claimed North Korea has 57 nuclear weapons, while indicating he expects another meeting with Kim. Trump said his personal ties with the North Korean leader have helped make the United States and its allies safer. He also defended his decision to oppose large military exercises with South Korea, saying such drills were inappropriate while he maintains friendly relations with Kim.
Trump says Kim relationship keeps allies safer
Speaking to reporters, Trump said Kim had a different attitude towards him than former US presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden. Trump said the two leaders had held successful meetings and remained in contact.
“I do have a good relationship with Kim Jong Un, as you know, you’ve seen. He didn’t like Biden, he didn’t like Obama, he didn’t like anybody, but he likes me, and I just got along with him very good,” he said.
Trump also suggested that another meeting with Kim could take place later this year. He said maintaining direct communication with the North Korean leader was a positive development for regional security.
“I get along with him, right. And you know what, the fact that I get along with him, that’s a good thing, not a bad thing,” he said.
Trump questions South Korea military drills
Trump said he did not support large-scale US-South Korea military exercises while relations with Kim remain positive. He described the drills as costly and said they could be seen as hostile by North Korea.
- Trump wants to reduce large-scale military exercises with South Korea.
- He said he does not expect a major conflict with North Korea during his current term.
- He said his relationship with Kim has helped reduce tensions.
- Trump has instructed US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth to substantially reduce joint exercises.
“I didn’t like the fact that we’re doing these massive military exercises really against North Korea. It was an exercise against North Korea when I’m friendly with him,” he said.
The issue also comes amid a separate disagreement between Washington and Seoul over the Strait of Hormuz. Trump criticised South Korea after it declined to assist the US over the strategic waterway, saying Seoul depends heavily on oil supplies that pass through Hormuz.
Kim’s nuclear arsenal and Trump summit plans
Trump also spoke about North Korea’s nuclear weapons programme and claimed Kim has “57 very powerful nuclear weapons”. He said such an arsenal should never have been allowed to develop.
“He’s got ’em. I get along with him very well. You can’t let Iran have a nuclear weapon,” Trump said.
Trump and Kim held three face-to-face meetings during Trump’s first term. Their meetings took place in Singapore in 2018, Hanoi in 2019 and at the Korean Demilitarized Zone later that year.
The talks aimed to improve US-North Korea relations and advance denuclearisation. However, negotiations stalled over disagreements about sanctions relief and the extent of North Korea’s nuclear dismantling.
