Ahead of potential talks between the United States and North Korea, the U.S. has confirmed for the first time that North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un is willing to discuss the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula, according to an administration official.

South Korea had conveyed a message from Kim indicating his willingness to pause his nuclear program during talks, but the U.S. had not previously confirmed Kim’s intentions directly from North Korea.

The latest development comes after the Korean leader met with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing late last month. President Trump hailed that meeting as a sign of optimism that the dictator would keep up his end of the bargain of halting his nuclear weapon program ahead of a potential summit.

“For years and through many administrations, everyone said that peace and denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula was not even a small possibility. Now there is a good chance Kim Jong Un will do what is right for his people and for humanity,” he tweeted in March.

Mr. Trump conceded, however, that even with major milestones in the U.S.-North Korea relationship, the administration’s maximum-pressure campaign continues and that sanctions “must be maintained at all cost.”

Talks between the two leaders are supposed to take place by May, but a time and place have yet to be decided.

Kim is also slated to meet with South Korean President Moon Jae-in at a border village on April 27. The South announced after the nations agreed on a rare summit that could prove significant in global efforts to resolve a decades-long standoff over the North’s nuclear program.</s>Ahead of potential talks between the United States and North Korea, the U.S. has confirmed for the first time that North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un is willing to discuss the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula, according to an administration official.

South Korea had conveyed a message from Kim indicating his willingness to pause his nuclear program during talks, but the U.S. had not previously confirmed Kim's intentions directly from North Korea.

The latest development comes after the Korean leader met with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing late last month. President Trump hailed that meeting as a sign of optimism that the dictator would keep up his end of the bargain of halting his nuclear weapon program ahead of a potential summit.

"For years and through many administrations, everyone said that peace and denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula was not even a small possibility. Now there is a good chance Kim Jong Un will do what is right for his people and for humanity," he tweeted in March.

Mr. Trump conceded, however, that even with major milestones in the U.S.-North Korea relationship, the administration's maximum-pressure campaign continues and that sanctions "must be maintained at all cost."

Talks between the two leaders are supposed to take place by May, but a time and place have yet to be decided.

Kim is also slated to meet with South Korean President Moon Jae-in at a border village on April 27. The South announced after the nations agreed on a rare summit that could prove significant in global efforts to resolve a decades-long standoff over the North's nuclear program.</s>WASHINGTON — North Korea’s government has communicated with the United States to say that leader Kim Jong Un is ready to discuss his nuclear weapons program with President Donald Trump, officials said Sunday, increasing the likelihood that the unprecedented summit will actually occur.

The confirmation from Pyongyang directly, rather than from third countries like South Korea, has created more confidence within President Trump’s administration about the wisdom of holding such a meeting, as U.S. officials make secretive preparations. The Trump administration has long said that if the North Koreans weren’t ready to discuss giving up their nuclear program, there was no reason for the two countries to hold negotiations.

President Trump took his own administration and other countries by surprise last month when he accepted an unusual offer from Kim to hold a meeting. The North had conveyed the invitation to a visiting delegation from South Korea, which in turn traveled to Washington and relayed the message to President Trump.

The president said yes to the meeting on the spot, even though the U.S. had not yet heard directly from North Korea about Kim’s intentions. The U.S. later heard from other countries including China, where Kim paid a rare visit, that the North was serious about the offer.

Still, North Korea’s government has not said anything publicly at all about a meeting with President Trump, and the lack of known contact between Pyongyang and Washington about the meeting has fueled further speculation about the seriousness of Kim’s offer.

A Trump administration official on Sunday said that the U.S. had “confirmed that Kim Jong Un is willing to discuss the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.” A second official said that confirmation had come through direct contact between American and North Korean officials.

Neither of the officials would say when or how the contact took place, nor in what location. The officials weren’t authorized to comment by name and demanded anonymity.

Previously, former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson had said there were at least two or three channels through which U.S. and North Korean officials communicate from time to time.

The Trump administration has not said where the meeting will place or whether a location has been determined, nor has an exact date been set. Initially, the White House said it expected the meeting to take place by the end of May. It’s unclear whether a date that early could be achieved or whether it might be delayed.

The contacts between Pyongyang and Washington come as President Trump’s new national security adviser, former U.N. Ambassador John Bolton, prepares to start work at the White House formally on Monday. Prior to being named to the post, Bolton had long expressed hawkish views about North Korea, even advocating a pre-emptive military strike.</s>WASHINGTON — North Korea’s government has communicated with the United States to say that leader Kim Jong Un is ready to discuss his nuclear weapons program with President Donald Trump, officials said Sunday, increasing the likelihood that the unprecedented summit will actually occur.

The confirmation from Pyongyang directly, rather than from third countries like South Korea, has created more confidence within Trump’s administration about the wisdom of holding such a meeting, as U.S. officials make secretive preparations. The Trump administration has long said that if the North Koreans weren’t ready to discuss giving up their nuclear program, there was no reason for the two countries to hold negotiations.

Trump took his own administration and other countries by surprise last month when he accepted an unusual offer from Kim to hold a meeting. The North had conveyed the invitation to a visiting delegation from South Korea, which in turn traveled to Washington and relayed the message to Trump.

The president said yes to the meeting on the spot, even though the U.S. had not yet heard directly from North Korea about Kim’s intentions. The U.S. later heard from other countries including China, where Kim paid a rare visit, that the North was serious about the offer.

Still, North Korea’s government has not said anything publicly at all about a meeting with Trump, and the lack of known contact between Pyongyang and Washington about the meeting has fueled further speculation about the seriousness of Kim’s offer.

A Trump administration official on Sunday said that the U.S. had “confirmed that Kim Jong Un is willing to discuss the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula?.” A second official said that confirmation had come through direct contact between American and North Korean officials.

Neither of the officials would say when or how the contact took place, nor in what location. The officials weren’t authorized to comment by name and demanded anonymity.

Previously, former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson had said there were at least two or three channels through which U.S. and North Korean officials communicate from time to time.

The Trump administration has not said where the meeting will place or whether a location has been determined, nor has an exact date been set. Initially, the White House said it expected the meeting to take place by the end of May. It’s unclear whether a date that early could be achieved or whether it might be delayed.

The contacts between Pyongyang and Washington come as Trump’s new national security adviser, former U.N. Ambassador John Bolton, prepares to start work at the White House formally on Monday. Prior to being named to the post, Bolton had long expressed hawkish views about North Korea, even advocating a pre-emptive military strike.</s>The U.S. has confirmed that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is willing to discuss the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, a Trump administration official said.

This is the first tangible sign that Kim is still willing to meet with President Donald Trump since the North first proposed the summit last month.

Trump has said he wants to meet with Kim before the end of May. Details on the talks are still unclear, including the exact agenda and place.

But U.S. officials have said there have been secret contacts between Washington and Pyongyang.

Trump has consistently called for the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula.

WATCH: Denuclearization

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?In the past, North Korea pledged to freeze its nuclear program in exchange for food aid and easing economic sanctions. Those promises were always broken.

Harry Kazianis, director of defense studies at The Center for the National Interest in Washington, says North Korea is going to make some kind of demand just to have the talks take place, and that its demands for agreeing to abandon its nuclear weapons "are going to be astronomically high."

"They could ask for hundreds of billions of dollars in economic aid," Kazianis told VOA. "They could ask for the removal of U.S. troops from the Korean peninsula. They could even ask for say South Korea to get rid of all of its nuclear technology and nuclear reactors."</s>WASHINGTON — North Korea’s government has communicated with the United States to say that leader Kim Jong Un is ready to discuss his nuclear weapons program with President Donald Trump, officials said Sunday, increasing the likelihood that the unprecedented summit will actually occur.

The confirmation from Pyongyang directly, rather than from third countries like South Korea, has created more confidence within Trump’s administration about the wisdom of holding such a meeting, as U.S. officials make secretive preparations. The Trump administration has long said that if the North Koreans weren’t ready to discuss giving up their nuclear program, there was no reason for the two countries to hold negotiations.

Trump took his own administration and other countries by surprise last month when he accepted an unusual offer from Kim to hold a meeting. The North had conveyed the invitation to a visiting delegation from South Korea, which in turn travelled to Washington and relayed the message to Trump.

The president said yes to the meeting on the spot, even though the U.S. had not yet heard directly from North Korea about Kim’s intentions. The U.S. later heard from other countries including China, where Kim paid a rare visit, that the North was serious about the offer.

Still, North Korea’s government has not said anything publicly at all about a meeting with Trump, and the lack of known contact between Pyongyang and Washington about the meeting has fueled further speculation about the seriousness of Kim’s offer.

A Trump administration official on Sunday said that the U.S. had “confirmed that Kim Jong Un is willing to discuss the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula?.” A second official said that confirmation had come through direct contact between American and North Korean officials.

Neither of the officials would say when or how the contact took place, nor in what location. The officials weren’t authorized to comment by name and demanded anonymity.

Previously, former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson had said there were at least two or three channels through which U.S. and North Korean officials communicate from time to time.

The Trump administration has not said where the meeting will place or whether a location has been determined, nor has an exact date been set. Initially, the White House said it expected the meeting to take place by the end of May. It’s unclear whether a date that early could be achieved or whether it might be delayed.

The contacts between Pyongyang and Washington come as Trump’s new national security adviser, former U.N. Ambassador John Bolton, prepares to start work at the White House formally on Monday. Prior to being named to the post, Bolton had long expressed hawkish views about North Korea, even advocating a pre-emptive military strike.</s>Sir Malcolm Rifkind told Nigel Farage that while the public war of words with North Korea has dried up, the shocking impact of sanctions has been revealed in economic reports. The former foreign secretary spoke to Mr Farage this morning on the former Ukip leader's LBC radio show, where he discussed how North Korea has been crushed in recent weeks. He surprised the MEP by claiming that US President Donald Trump had little to do with this victory that, and in fact, China is the main reason Kim Jong-un now wants to negotiate. Sir Malcolm explained how China remains the key figure in the North Korean crisis, and how Beijing could "extinguish" North Korea in 48 hours if they wanted to.

Speaking to Mr Farage, Sir Malcolm said: "The single most important reason why Kim Jong-un is talking about denuclearization, about negotiations, is not Trump or America, it is China. "What has become clear in the last couple weeks, is that although China has not publicly supported tough sanctions against North Korea, "In practice, the oil and gas they supply, and other support, has dried up completely. If you look at the economic figures, it's astonishing. "They have put a huge squeeze on Pyongyang and that is why Kim turned up in Beijing trying to be constructive and helpful. "The single most reason we have avoided war is the Chinese. China, if it wanted to, could extinguish North Korea economically in 48 hours." China appears to have gone beyond the required sanctions laid out by the UN, reducing its total imports from North Korea this year by 86 percent. Its exports to the North regime also dropped by 34 percent already this year. China accounts for almost 80 percent of the North's total trade.

When pressed on whether President Trump deserved any credit for the development of the Korean crisis, Sir Malcolm said: "Well, I think he is a ghastly president. But, for a man like Kim who relies on wild threats of starting nuclear wars, when he gets a US president who uses similar threats and sounds as volatile as him, it makes him nervous. The remarks from the senior cabinet minister under Margaret Thatcher came as CNN revealed that the United States and North Korea have been holding secret, direct talks to prepare for a summit between President Donald Trump and North Korea leader Kim Jong Un. This is a sign that planning for the highly anticipated meeting is progressing according to senior administration sources. The North Koreans are pushing to have the meeting in their capital, Pyongyang, but it remains unclear whether the White House would be willing to hold the talks there. The Mongolian capital Ulaanbaatar has also been raised as a possible location.</s>North Korea has told the United States for the first time that it is prepared to discuss the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula when North Korean leader Kim Jong Un meets President Donald Trump, a U.S. official said on Sunday.

U.S. and North Korean officials have held secret contacts recently in which Pyongyang directly delivered the message of its willingness to hold the summit, the official told Reuters, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Until now, Washington had relied on South Korea's assurance of Kim's intentions.

On Saturday, CNN reported that the U.S. was engaged in secret, direct talks with North Korea.

Central Intelligence Agency head Mike Pompeo and his team have been using intelligence back-channels to make preparations for the summit between Trump and the North Korean leader.

The North Koreans want the meeting to take place in their capital, Pyongyang.

It's unclear whether the White House would be OK with that.

Mongolia's capital Ulaanbaatar has also been discussed as a possible location.

The meeting is tentatively scheduled for late May or early June.

Before Trump and Kim Jong Un meet, a meeting is planned between Pompeo and his North Korean counterpart, the head of the Reconnaissance General Bureau.

Pompeo has been tapped to be Trump's next secretary of state, and will start the Senate confirmation process over the next few weeks.

The New York Times reported last month that it was the CIA that was taking the lead in the run-up to the historic meeting.

That was due to Pompeo's influence, and because Secretary of State Rex Tillerson had fallen out of favor with President Trump, leading to him being replaced.

With the meeting with Kim approaching, Trump wanted a secretary of state in lockstep with him, and found that in Pompeo.

Beyond dealing with the North Koreans through the channel that runs between the CIA and the Reconnaissance General Burea, Pompeo has also been in close touch with the director of South Korea's National Intelligence Service, Suh Hoon, who was the individual who brokered Kim's invitation to Trump, the Times said.

The U.S. State Department has been communicating with the North Koreans through their mission at the United Nations, CNN also said.

And incoming National Security Adviser John Bolton, who starts his job Monday – replacing the president's second National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster – is expected to join Pompeo in planning the meeting.</s>US President Donald Trump says he plans to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong-un next month or in early June for talks on the "de-nuking" of the Korean Peninsula.

Mr Trump said he and Kim Jong-un would hopefully make a deal "de-nuking" North Korea. (Credit: ABC licensed)

US President Donald Trump says he plans to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong-un next month or in early June and hopes the discussions will ultimately lead to an end of the North's nuclear weapons program.

"We'll be meeting with them sometime in May or early June and I think there'll be great respect paid by both parties and hopefully we'll be able to make a deal on the de-nuking of North Korea," Mr Trump told reporters at the beginning of a Cabinet meeting.

"They've said so. We've said so," Mr Trump added.

North Korea has told the United States it is prepared to discuss the denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula when Mr Kim meets Mr Trump, a US official told Reuters on Sunday.

The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said US and North Korean officials have held secret contacts recently, in which Pyongyang directly confirmed its willingness to hold the unprecedented summit.

The communications, still at a preliminary stage, have involved State Department officials talking to North Korea, apparently through its United Nations mission, and intelligence officers from both sides using a separate back channel, the official said.

Before that, Washington had relied mostly on South Korea's assurances of Mr Kim's intentions.</s>Ahead of the meeting between the United States President Donald Trump and North Korean supreme leader Kim-jong-un, reports published in the US media have suggested that North Korea is ready to discuss to denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula with Washington. This is the first official communication between both countries as previously they talked about the denuclearisation and other issues through South-Korean channels. According to the White House officials, the US has confirmed that Kim Jong-un is agreed to talk about denuclearisation.

The development between both countries comes days after Kim Jong-un made a surprise visit to China. Last month, Washington shocked the world after it announced that the meeting between Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un will be held by May end. However, the official details such as venue or date of the meeting are yet to be confirmed. Meanwhile, officials in North Korea have not confirmed the reports that it is willing to negotiate over its own nuclear arsenal.

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The security experts in the US says that Donald Trump will continue to pressurise Pyongyang to give up its nuclear missile programme, fuel enrichment. But, they also say that arbitrary leader Kim Jong-un will lay some conditions such as demand of US security forces to leave the nuclear peninsula, withdrawal of Washington nuclear umbrella promise to discourage attacks on its ally South Korea.

Before meeting US president, Kim Jong-un will meet South Korean president late last month. The diplomatic conversation between both countries started after North Korea sent its athletes and Kim’s sister in the Winter Olympics held at South Korean city Pyeongchang.

Last month, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un made a surprise visit to Beijing and held crucial talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping, according to Chinese media. The trip reportedly took place from March 25 to 28 and was kept a secret for security reasons. The two leaders exchanged views on the situation of the world and the Korean peninsula. If reports are to be believed, the Chinese president will now visit North Korea soon after he accepted Kim’s invitation

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The United States says North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has indicated willingness to discuss denuclearisation.