President Donald Trump said he would be willing to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un “under the right circumstances” to defuse tensions over North Korea's nuclear program.
“If it would be appropriate for me to meet with him, I would absolutely, I would be honored to do it,” Trump told Bloomberg News in an interview Monday. “If it's under the, again, under the right circumstances. But I would do that.”
No sitting US president has ever before met with the leader of North Korea while in power, and the idea is extremely controversial.
White House press secretary Sean Spicer, however, said later on Monday that the US would first need to see changes in North Korean behavior before a potential sit-down.
“We've got to see their provocative behavior ratcheted down immediately,” Spicer said. "Clearly, the conditions are not there right now.”
Spicer also offered an explanation for Trump's view, expressed to CBS, that Kim is a “smart cookie.”
"He assumed power at a young age when his father passed," Spicer said. "There was a lot of potential threats that could have come his way. He's managed to lead a country forward, despite the concerns that we and so many people have. He is a young person to be leading a country with nuclear weapons."
Trump's comment about meeting Kim comes as tensions have risen in recent months between the US and North Korea as Pyongyang has sought to advance its nuclear and ballistic missile programs and Washington has made a show of force in the region to deter their use.
The US directed an aircraft carrier-led strike group to the region as well as deployed a new anti-ballistic missile system to South Korea.
The North Korean nuclear issue has quickly become one of the top national security concerns for the Trump administration and administration officials have repeatedly stressed the increasing urgency of the situation.
Trump has focused on finding a diplomatic solution to the North Korean issue -- working increasingly closely with China -- but has also refused to rule out a military solution to the problem.
BDST: 1458 HRS, MAY 2, 2017
AP
