US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that he plans to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un before the end of the year, while also claiming that North Korea possesses 57 "very powerful" nuclear weapons.
Speaking to reporters during a tour of construction projects at the White House, Trump confirmed that a new meeting with Kim was being planned.
"Yes, I will meet with him," Trump said when asked by journalists.
Claim on North Korea's nuclear arsenal
Providing an unusually specific estimate of North Korea's nuclear capabilities, Trump stated that Pyongyang possesses 57 nuclear weapons.
"That should never have happened. If I had been president, I wouldn't have allowed it," he said, reiterating that he has a "very good relationship" with Kim Jong Un.
Trump's remarks come after reports that he instructed Pentagon officials to reduce US participation in annual joint military exercises with South Korea because of his "very good relationship" with the North Korean leader.
"I know Kim Jong Un very well, and everything will be fine as long as we have a smart president," Trump said.
"The fact that I get along with him, that's a good thing, not a bad thing. He has 57 very powerful nuclear weapons."
Trump again argued that North Korea's nuclear build-up should not have been allowed to happen.
"If I had been president, I wouldn't have allowed it. But he has them," he added.
Experts' estimates
Estimates of North Korea's nuclear arsenal have varied over the years.
In June, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) assessed that North Korea had likely assembled around 60 nuclear warheads and possessed enough fissile material to produce at least 30 more.
Source: CNA
