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Trump signals willingness to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un

U.S. President Donald Trump indicated on Wednesday that he is prepared to hold talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Trump also characterised North Korea's nuclear arsenal as a significant military concern.

LSN Singapore · 19 August 2026

Trump signals willingness to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un

President Trump expressed openness to a potential meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un during remarks made on Wednesday, signalling a possible diplomatic engagement between the two countries.

The U.S. president also provided an assessment of North Korea's military capabilities, stating that the country possesses 57 nuclear weapons, which he described as "very powerful." The characterisation underscores the strategic importance Washington places on North Korea's weapons programme in regional security calculations.

Any meeting between Trump and Kim would represent a significant diplomatic development in U.S.-North Korean relations. Direct engagement between the two leaders could potentially reshape discussions on denuclearisation and sanctions, issues that have remained central to negotiations between Washington and Pyongyang.

The comments come amid ongoing international scrutiny of North Korea's weapons development programme and its implications for security in the Asia-Pacific region. South Korea and other regional partners have closely monitored developments in U.S.-North Korean relations given their direct strategic interests in the peninsula's stability.