WASHINGTON — U.S. President Donald Trump said he does not know whether he will meet North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Shenzhen, China, in November. The remark is seen as lowering expectations for such a meeting, with no public response coming from Pyongyang.
Asked by reporters at the White House on the 19th whether he thought he could meet the North Korean leader in China next month, Trump said he did not know. He added that he gets along very well with Kim and that he is not sure anyone wants the talks, but that his relationship with Kim is very good.
The comments mark a shift in tone from Trump's earlier position, in which he called for resuming U.S.-North Korea talks with Kim without preconditions. Trump had cited specific numbers for North Korea's nuclear weapons, effectively treating the country as a nuclear power, and had said he would meet Kim within this year.
On the 12th, Trump said a meeting with Kim on the occasion of the APEC summit "could" happen and that it would be exciting if such talks took place.