Speaking at a meeting at the Oval Office with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, Mr Trump was asked whether he would plan to restore relations with Mr Kim Jong Un. The US president replied: "I have a very good relationship with Kim Jong Un, we will see what happens, but it is definitely a nuclear power."
According to Reuters, at his second term inauguration on January 20, Mr. Trump mentioned North Korea as a country with nuclear weapons. This has sparked speculation about the possibility that his administration could pursue arms cuts rather than de-nuclearization efforts as in his first term.
In his speech, Mr. Trump also mentioned the nuclear arsenal of Russia and China, and expressed his desire to reduce the number of nuclear weapons globally. "It would be a great achievement if we could cut the number of nuclear weapons. We have too many and their strength is huge," he said.
The US president stressed the need for the participation of many other countries in controlling nuclear weapons. "Kim Jong Un has a lot of nuclear weapons, and so do other countries. India, Pakistan and many other countries have them, and we have to put them on the table," he said.
When asked if Mr Trump's statement marked a change in policy on North Korea's nuclear program, a White House official affirmed: "Chairman Trump will continue to pursue the goal of completely denutionizing North Korea, as he did during his first term."
On February 15, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and his Japanese and South Korean counterparts reaffirmed their "resolution" to completely denctionalize North Korea, in line with the resolutions of the United Nations Security Council.
However, North Korea continues to make tough moves. Last week, Kim Yo Jong - the younger sister of leader Kim Jong Un - criticized the Trump administration for "escaping itsprovocative actions", and said that this would continue to increase Pyongyang's nuclear deterrence capabilities. This week, North Korea launched many ballistic missiles, marking the first weapons test since Mr. Trump's re-election.
