US President Donald Trump, in an interview, said that he plans to reach out to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, whom he described as a “smart guy. Trump, who sat for his first interview after assuming the presidency in the United States, told Fox News that he planned to talk to his North Korean counterpart. “I got along with him,” Trump said of Kim.“ He’s not a religious zealot,” Trump added.
Earlier, Kim threatened the US with the “toughest” anti-US policy. As Trump returns to the White House, speculations are rife that high-profile diplomacy with North Korea will be very much on the cards. Earlier, in his first term, Trump had met the North Korean leader thrice for discussions on Pyongyang’s nuclear programme.
While participating in a five-day plenary meeting of the ruling Workers’ Party, Kim called the US the ‘most reactionary state’ that regards anti-communism as its invariable state policy. He also raised concerns over the US-South Korea-Japan security partnership, which he thinks is expanding into “a nuclear military bloc for aggression.”
According to experts, Trump may first focus on conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East, and thus, the Kim-Trump summitry may take some time. Notably, North Korea’s support for Russia’s war against Ukraine can emerge as a challenge to efforts to revive diplomacy between Washington and Pyongyang.
