Kim Jong Un says he is open to dialogue with Trump if the US refuses to denuclearize

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un believes that he has no reason to avoid dialogue with the United States, provided that Washington stops insisting on denuclearization. He said this during a speech at the Supreme People's Assembly on September 21., reports Reuters.

According to Kim Jong Un, his country will never give up nuclear weapons, even for the sake of lifting international sanctions.

"Personally, I still have fond memories of President Trump . If the United States abandons the absurd idea of denuclearization, accepts reality and wants real peaceful coexistence, we will have no reason not to sit down at the negotiating table with the United States," he said.

According to North Korea expert at the US Stimson Center Rachel Minyen Lee, this is the first time the DPRK leader has publicly mentioned Trump since his re-election as US president in January 2025. The leaders met three times during his term.

"This is an overture. Kim's invitation to Trump to review the US policy on denuclearization, suggesting that if the US refuses to denuclearize, he will be able to meet with Trump face to face," said Minyoung Lee.

• on August 27, North Korea accused South Korea of "hypocrisy" after the country's president announced the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula together with the United States.
• On September 15, the DPRK said that the country will never give up nuclear weapons, because they are "an inevitable option for reliable defense." Pyongyang called such US statements a "gross political provocation".