President Donald Trump on Thursday said that he would like to defuse the standoff with North Korea over nuclear weapons with diplomacy, but he warned that “major” conflict is possible.
“There is a chance that we could end up having a major, major conflict with North Korea. Absolutely,” he told Reuters on Thursday. “We’d love to solve things diplomatically but it’s very difficult.”
Asked if North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un is rational, Trump said he had no opinion.
“He’s 27 years old. His father dies, took over a regime. So say what you want but that is not easy, especially at that age,” Trump told Reuters. “I’m not giving him credit or not giving him credit, I’m just saying that’s a very hard thing to do. As to whether or not he’s rational, I have no opinion on it. I hope he’s rational.”
Trump praised Chinese President Xi Jinping for his help in addressing North Korea.
“I believe he is trying very hard. He certainly doesn’t want to see turmoil and death. He doesn’t want to see it. He is a good man,” Trump told Reuters. “With that being said, he loves China and he loves the people of China. I know he would like to be able to do something, perhaps it’s possible that he can’t.”
The President also said that he would like to renegotiate the United States’ trade pact with South Korea, telling Reuters that he would announce it soon.
