Washington: U.S. President Donald Trump could propose the "tacit" acceptance of North Korea's nuclear program, a formal peace treaty, and a cessation of South Korea-U.S. military exercises in a possible summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, a former U.S. official has suggested.
According to Yonhap News Agency, Anthony Ruggiero, who was the National Security Council's director for North Korea during the first Trump administration, shared this perspective in an opinion piece published by The Hill. This insight comes as Trump has recently expressed a desire to meet Kim later this year.
Speculation about a potential meeting has been fueled by reports, such as one from The Wall Street Journal, suggesting Trump might seek a meeting with Kim during his upcoming trip to Asia for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Shenzhen, China, this November.
Ruggiero indicated that negotiations with Kim could involve at least a tacit acknowledgment of North Korea's nuclear weapons program. He suggested that Trump might also offer a peace treaty to formally end the Korean War, improve political and economic relations, and permanently halt military exercises with South Korea. Additionally, Trump could play a role in facilitating future negotiations between the two Koreas.
Concerns have been raised over Trump's potential shift towards a more practical approach to North Korea, possibly focusing on arms control or tension reduction rather than denuclearization. These concerns were heightened when Trump disclosed that North Korea possesses 57 "very powerful" nuclear weapons and did not confirm whether his goal in reengaging with Kim remains denuclearization.
In response to these concerns, the State Department recently reaffirmed the U.S. commitment to the "complete" denuclearization of North Korea. Additionally, a U.S. official stated that there has been "no change" in U.S. policy toward Pyongyang.
Ruggiero stressed the importance of Trump insisting on "verifiable" limits on Pyongyang's long-range ballistic missile and nuclear weapons programs should discussions with Kim resume. He also mentioned that any agreement should require North Korea to withdraw all troops and military support for Russia's war in Ukraine.
The former NSC official speculated that Trump might eventually travel to North Korea or a neutral location to finalize a deal with Kim, describing such a scenario as "another made-for-TV moment" in his presidency. He acknowledged that while Trump might face criticism for this approach, he should be praised for pursuing achievable goals rather than repeating past negotiation strategies that did not yield different outcomes.
Ruggiero also recommended that Trump could regain leverage against the North Korean leader by imposing sanctions on North Koreans operating in China and on Chinese companies and individuals assisting Pyongyang in evading sanctions.
During his first term, Trump had three in-person meetings with Kim: in Singapore in June 2018, in Hanoi in February 2019, and at the inter-Korean border village of Panmunjom in June 2019. Ruggiero was the NSC director for North Korea from 2018 to 2019, contributing to Trump's "maximum pressure" policy and summits with the North Korean leader.