President Donald Trump announced Tuesday that North Korea’s Kim Jong Un wants to meet "as soon as possible" to negotiate a deal that would include the denuclearization of North Korea.
The North Korean regime has spent decades developing nuclear technology and has recently tested ballistic missiles, heightening tensions and leading Trump to denounce Kim’s actions. Trump accused Kim of being on a "suicide mission" in a speech last year, but they have since been in talks to make a deal.
"We are going to be having a meeting with Kim Jong Un and that will be very soon," Trump declared. "We have been told directly that they would like to have the meeting as soon as possible. We think that’s a great thing for the world."
Kim also said last week he is open to denuclearizing, which Trump touted as a step forward. Trump said Kim has been "very open" and "very honorable" in discussions so far.
"We’re having very good discussions," Trump said. "Kim Jong Un, he really has been very open and I think very honorable from everything we're seeing."
"A lot of promises have been made by North Korea over the years, but they’ve never been in this position," he added.
Trump said Kim is under particularly strong pressure because of sanctions.
"We have been very tough on maximum pressure, we have been very tough on, as you know, trade," he said. "We’ve been very very tough on the border; sanctions have been the toughest we’ve ever imposed on any country."
He said a deal will be "a great thing" for the Korean peninsula and the rest of the world, but he announced his intention to walk away from any potential deal if the terms are not reasonable.
"Maybe it’ll be wonderful and maybe it won’t," Trump said. "If it’s not going to be fair and reasonable and good, unlike past administrations, I will leave the table."