Trump says will meet North Korea's Kim later this year

United States President Donald Trump announced on Wednesday his intention to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un later this year, marking their first encounter since the start of Trump's second term. During a tour of a new helipad at the White House, Trump stated that North Korea possessed 57 "very powerful" nuclear weapons, a rare and specific assessment by a U.S. president regarding Kim's atomic arsenal.

When asked about his plans to meet Kim, Trump affirmed his intention to do so, saying, "Yeah, I will be." Trump did not provide further details but reportedly considered a meeting during his visit to China for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in November.

Trump defended the planned meeting, stating that North Korea had 57 very powerful nuclear weapons, which he believed should never have been allowed to happen. If he were president, he would not have permitted it. Despite the meeting, Trump maintained a positive relationship with Kim, saying they get along very well and that Kim is doing fine.

Trump's announcement came after he ordered the United States to scale back military drills with South Korea, citing a "good relationship" with Kim as the reason. The two leaders had met three times during Trump's first term, with Trump describing their relationship as "falling in love" after exchanging beautiful letters. However, they have not met during Trump's second term.

Recently, Trump has dropped hints about communications with Kim, though he did not confirm on Wednesday that they were exchanging letters. The powerful sister of Kim Jong Un stated that she was unaware of reported communication between her brother and Trump but affirmed that ties between the two remained "excellent."