Trump dodges question on whether North Korea's denuclearization is still the goal

US President Donald Trump sidestepped a question about whether denuclearization remains the goal of renewed talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, saying he did not want to discuss the matter. Instead, he repeatedly emphasized his personal rapport with Kim and again called for scaling back joint US-South Korea military exercises.

Speaking to reporters at the White House on Wednesday, Trump was asked whether denuclearization was still the objective of reengaging with Kim and why he believed talks would succeed this time. "I don't want to talk about that," he said.

He then said, "I have a good relationship with Kim Jong-un," stressing the personal ties between the two leaders.

Trump's reluctance to explicitly name denuclearization as the goal of US-North Korea dialogue is widely seen as an effort to keep the door open for future talks with Kim.

North Korea has signaled it would engage with the United States only on the premise that its status as a nuclear-armed state is effectively recognized. Were Washington to insist on denuclearization as a precondition or ultimate objective, resuming dialogue could become significantly harder.

During his first term, Trump met Kim three times — holding summits in Singapore in 2018 and in Hanoi, Vietnam, in 2019, and meeting him at Panmunjom the same year. The negotiations ultimately failed to produce results, as the two sides could not bridge their differences over North Korea's denuclearization steps and the lifting of US sanctions.

Trump also revisited his recent decision to scale back joint US-South Korea military exercises.

"I don't like the fact that we're doing large-scale military exercises targeting North Korea," he said, characterizing the drills as exercises aimed at the North.

He went on to say, "I have a friendly relationship with him," adding, "I don't see anything happening for at least the next two and a half years. It's not going to happen while I'm here."

Trump has recently made a series of statements signaling his desire to restart dialogue with North Korea, while at the same time stressing his view that the joint military exercises could be seen as threatening by Pyongyang.

Particularly notable this time was his refusal to give a direct answer when asked whether denuclearization — the central issue in past North Korea negotiations — remains the goal. Analysts say the move signals a clearer effort to lower the threshold for talks by leading with his personal relationship with Kim.