Trump says he will meet with Kim Jong Un 'later this year
President Donald Trump announced he plans to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un later this year, coinciding with scaled-back military drills.
US President Donald Trump announced plans to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un later this year, attempting to revive a personal rapport that produced three historic summits during his first term in office. Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, August 19, 2026, during a tour of a new helipad construction site on the South Lawn of the White House, Trump affirmed that an autumn encounter is on the horizon. According to reporting from the Wall Street Journal, the administration is eyeing a potential meeting when he travels to Shenzen, China for an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in November.
The diplomatic push coincides with a sudden scaling back of joint military exercises with South Korea, a move ordered by Trump after he claimed the drills sent an inappropriate and hostile signal to Pyongyang. The decision has sparked alarm among regional allies in East Asia who rely on the American security umbrella, even as Washington defends the reduction as causing no operational degradation. Seoul announced that the annual Ulchi Freedom Shield exercises would end about a week earlier than planned at the suggestion of the US side.
Media additions
Trump defended the outreach by emphasizing his rapport with the leader of the nuclear-armed state, telling reporters that mutual understanding is a strategic asset rather than a liability according to Australian Yahoo News reporting. At the same time, the US leader offered a remarkably specific assessment of North Korea's military capabilities, stating that Pyongyang currently possesses 57 powerful nuclear weapons. That precise figure aligns broadly with independent estimates from organizations such as the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, which calculated that North Korea has possibly assembled around 60 warheads while possessing enough fissile material to produce at least 30 more noted Fox News. A report by the Congressional Research Service also cited non-governmental experts estimating that North Korea produced enough fissile material for up to 90 warheads.
Despite Trump's public optimism, the path toward formal talks remains complicated by conflicting signals from Pyongyang. Kim Yo Jong, the influential sister of the North Korean leader, issued a statement via state media declaring she was entirely unaware of any recent communications between the two leaders reported Yahoo News Canada. While she praised the relationship between the two figures as excellent and noted that her brother retains fond memories of Trump, she simultaneously dismissed the scaled-back military exercises as uninteresting and insufficient, arguing that Washington's fundamental hostile policies toward North Korea remain unchanged according to Fox News coverage.
The diplomatic overtures toward North Korea arrive as the administration navigates multiple foreign policy flashpoints, including stalled diplomacy elsewhere. Regional watchers remember the tumultuous diplomatic history between the two nations, which previously featured intense hostility—including threats involving a nuclear button—before shifting into face-to-face meetings, including a brief exchange at the demilitarized zone between the Koreas where Trump became the first sitting US president to step into North Korean territory. In recent years, North Korea deployed troops to support Russia in its war against Ukraine and signed a mutual defense treaty with Moscow.
Key Developments in US-North Korea Diplomacy
- President Trump stated on Wednesday, August 19, 2026, that he expects to meet Kim Jong Un later this year.
- The announcement follows an order from the White House to cut short joint military drills with South Korea.
- Trump publicly claimed Pyongyang holds 57 nuclear weapons, echoing independent think tank estimates.
- Kim Yo Jong stated she was unaware of direct communications between the leaders while affirming mutual personal goodwill.
Observers note that while the White House eyes an autumn encounter potentially tied to upcoming international summits, neither side has released concrete logistical details regarding a venue or date.
