President Donald Trump said Thursday he hopes and expects to normalize relations with North Korea “when everything is complete,” the latest indication the U.S. may be willing to ease off its harsh economic sanctions or move toward more regular diplomatic dealings as part of its talks on denuclearization.
“Normalizing relations is something that I would expect to do, I would hope to do, when everything is complete,” Trump said of North Korea during a bilateral press conference with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in the Rose Garden. “We would certainly hope to do that.”
In his own remarks, Abe also expressed a willingness to normalize relations between Japan and North Korea.
The remarks come just days out from a historic summit between North Korea leader Kim Jong Un and Trump in Singapore on June 12, when the world leaders are expected to discuss efforts to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula.
Trump on Thursday said there was “tremendous potential” for North Korea to reap the economic benefits of striking a deal with the U.S. and its neighbors in Asia.
“There are a lot of good factors lined up for North Korea, a lot of tremendous factors that give it tremendous potential,” he said. “It has tremendous potential because the people are great. We would certainly like to see normalization.”
The president added that the U.S. would be willing sign an agreement to end the Korean War – which halted in 1953 without a formal peace treaty -with Kim in Singapore, but cautioned “that’s really the beginning" of negotiations.
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