White House upbeat over N Korea situation

The North Korea situation is far more positive after North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's meetting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, the White House says.

The American government claims the situation with North Korea was moving in the right direction after North Korean leader Kim Jong Un met with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing.

In a pair of tweets early on Wednesday, US President Trump said President Xi Jinping told him a meeting Xi had with Kim this week "went very well."

And later on Wednesday White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders told reporters: "We're going to be cautiously optimistic but we feel like things are moving in the right direction and the meeting yesterday was a good indication that the maximum pressure campaign has been working."

Trump said that according to Xi, the North Korean leader "looks forward" to meeting the American president.

But he added: "In the meantime, and unfortunately, maximum sanctions and pressure must be maintained at all cost!"

The White House has said Trump plans to meet Kim by May amid nuclear tensions between the two nations.

"For years and through many administrations, everyone said that peace and the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula was not even a small possibility," Trump tweeted.

"Now there is a good chance that Kim Jong Un will do what is right for his people and for humanity. Look forward to our meeting!"


Share

2 min read

Published

Source: AAP



Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world