President Donald Trump expressed cautious optimism about peace talks with North Korea after South Korea revealed that Kim Jong-un was willing to negotiate denuclearization with the United States.
“I think that their statement, and the statements coming out of South Korea and North Korea, have been very positive,” Trump said to reporters at the White House on Tuesday while visiting with the Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Löfven.
He cautioned, however, that previous administrations had heard positive rhetoric from the North Koreans that did not lead to denuclearization.
“It’s a very tenuous situation. It’s going to be very interesting to see what happens,” Trump said.
The president said the United States was prepared to consider many options to handle North Korea but also said he hoped to continue talks down the “very, very peaceful, beautiful path.”
“That would be a great thing for the world. It would be a great thing for North Korea,” Trump said.
Trump praised the spirit of the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, recalling that President Moon Jae-in gave him credit for the successful talks between North and South Korea during the Games.
“I thought North Korea was terrific,” Trump said. “They came out with good spirit, they did well, and we’ll see if we can carry it over. It’ll be very interesting to see what happens.”
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