North Korea Says Kim-Trump Ties ‘Not Bad,’ But Rules Out Denuclearisation

North Korea has rejected the idea of resuming talks on denuclearisation, despite US President Donald Trump recently expressing interest in rekindling diplomacy with the country’s leader Kim Jong Un, according to a report published by The Associated Press on Tuesday.

Kim Yo Jong, the influential sister of the North Korean leader, said late Monday that ties between her brother and Trump are “not bad,” but made it clear that Pyongyang has no intention of giving up its nuclear weapons.

In a statement carried by state media, Kim Yo reportedly said, “If the US fails to accept the changed reality and persists in the failed past, the DPRK-US meeting will remain as a ‘hope’ of the US side.”

Nuclear Capabilities Have Grown Since Trump Talks

Highlighting that North Korea’s nuclear capabilities have increased since the breakdown of Kim-Trump diplomacy in 2019, she warned that any denial of her country’s nuclear status would be “rejected.”

“The personal relations between our leader and Trump are not bad,” she said, while adding that any notion those ties could lead to denuclearisation was “nothing but a mockery,” as reported by the US-based news agency.

Earlier talks between the two leaders stalled after Trump reportedly refused to lift sanctions in exchange for only partial dismantlement of North Korea’s nuclear sites.

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Pyongyang Wants Incentives, Not Demands

Responding to a Yonhap report quoting a White House official who said Trump “remains open” to engagement, Kim Jong Un’s sister urged the US to change its approach and “seek another way of contact.”

South Korean intelligence experts believe Pyongyang is only interested in discussion if it yields benefits like sanctions relief or the halt of US-South Korea military drills.

A Korea Institute for Military Affairs official told the publication that talks might be possible if differences narrow, though Trump’s unpredictable stance makes outcomes hard to forecast.

Russia Ties and APEC Summit Complicate Prospects

Analysts say North Korea’s growing closeness to Russia, against the backdrop of the war in Ukraine suggests the country is seemingly in no rush to resume diplomacy. Kim Yo Jong had earlier mocked South Korea’s idea of inviting Kim Jong Un to the APEC summit as “a daydream”.