Willing to talk to Kim, says Trump 

Willing to talk to Kim, says Trump 

Context

U.S President Donald Trump said talks between North Korea and South Korea scheduled for next week was an outcome of his “firm stance” and he could talk to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on the phone. “Absolutely I would do that. No problem with that at all,” he said, when asked whether he was “willing to engage in phone talks” with Mr. Kim. Mr. Trump was interacting with reporters at the Camp David Presidential retreat on Saturday.

Talks b/w North and South

The North and the South are scheduled to talk next week, which is likely to pave the way for the North’s participation in the Winter Olympics in the South next month

The first formal diplomatic talks between the two Koreas in two years is taking place against the backdrop of furious public exchange of insults between Mr. Trump and Mr. Kim over Pyongyang’s nuclear capability that now threatens mainland America

Changing position

Mr. Trump’s position on talking to the North has changed many times

He had once said his negotiating skills could lead to a resolution of the conflict with North Korea, but in recent times, he dismissed Secretary of State Rex Tillerson’s diplomatic efforts as a “waste of time.

Result of my Efforts: Trump

• On Saturday, he said it was his efforts that led the North to the negotiating table.
• “Look, right now they’re talking Olympics. It’s a start, it’s big start. If I weren’t involved they wouldn’t be talking at all right now,” Mr. Trump said
• Mr. Kim has got the message that he was “no messing around,” and this could lead to a peaceful solution. “..if we can come up with a very peaceful and very good solution …that would be a great thing for all of humanity,” he said, adding that Mr. Tillerson and others were working on it.