Trump ready to meet Kim if conditions right

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump on Monday said he would not rule out meeting North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un, saying he would be “honoured to do it,” despite weeks of tough talk against the regime.

“If it would be appropriate for me to meet with him I would absolutely. I would be honoured to do it,” Trump said in an interview with Bloomberg.

Tensions with North Korea have soared in recent weeks, amid Pyongyang’s series of provocative missile tests.

The Trump administration has repeatedly warned “all options are on the table” when it comes to dealing with North Korea’s missile and nuclear programmes — but it also stressed last week it is open to direct talks with Pyongyang.

“If it’s under the, again, under the right circumstances. But I would do that,” Trump said.

Earlier, North Korea warned that it will carry out a nuclear test “at any time and at any location” set by leadership, in the latest rhetoric fuel jitters in the region.

Tensions on the Korean peninsula have been running high for weeks, with signs that the North might be preparing a long-range missile launch or a sixth nuclear test — and with Washington refusing to rule out a military strike in response.

A spokesman for the North’s foreign ministry said Pyongyang was “fully ready to respond to any option taken by the US”. its to