US President Donald Trump said Sunday that negotiations to determine the location of his next summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un were underway while remaining evasive on when it would take place.
Trump, who held a historic summit with Kim in Singapore in June, said earlier in the week he had received a “great letter” from the North Korean leader but refused to divulge its contents.
“We are negotiating a location,” he told reporters. “It will be announced probably in the not too distant future.
“They do want to meet and we want to meet and we’ll see what happens.
“With North Korea, we have a very good dialogue.”
Trump added that he had “indirectly spoken” with Kim.
The latest letter from Kim came after the North Korean leader warned in a New Year’s speech that Pyongyang may adjust its approach to nuclear talks if the US persists with sanctions.
Trump said Sunday the sanctions remain “in full force and effect” and would remain in place until Washington sees “very positive” results.
At the first summit between the longtime adversaries in June, Trump and Kim agreed to work toward the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula but there is a lack of clarity on what that means.
Washington has been pressing for Pyongyang to get rid of its nuclear weapons before it eases the economic pressure.
Kim, whose family has ruled North Korea with an iron fist for 70 years, is demanding immediate economic benefits and a formal end to the 1950-53 Korean War.
– with reporting by Agence France-Presse