US President Donald Trump reiterated Wednesday his readiness to meet Kim Jong-un after the latter said in his New Year address to the nation that he wanted to improve relations with the United States.
“Kim Jong Un says North Korea will not make or test nuclear weapons, or give them to others — & he is ready to meet President Trump anytime.” PBS News Hour. I also look forward to meeting with Chairman Kim who realizes so well that North Korea possesses great economic potential!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) 1 января 2019 г.
The long-standing tensions on the Korean Peninsula started to ease after North Korea expressed its willingness to denuclearise, and held summits with the South Korean and US presidents.
At the summit on April 27, the two Koreas agreed to halt all hostile acts against each other, while during the third meeting in September the sides agreed to suspend artillery drills near the inter-Korean border and remove all guard posts from the demilitarised zone.
Donald Trump has been reportedly considering a second summit with North Korea's supreme leader to speed up the stalling denuclearisation. Trump's national security adviser John Bolton has said the meeting could take place in January or February.
