Trump says U.S. is communicating with North Korea 'directly'


President Trump on Tuesday revealed that the U.S. is engaged in bilateral talks with North Korea. Speaking after a meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Trump said his administration has "started talking to North Korea directly," entering into "direct talks at very high levels, extremely high levels, with North Korea."
Bloomberg News' Jennifer Jacobs reported that "senior U.S. officials" have in fact communicated directly with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, and are working to arrange a meeting between Trump and Kim that Trump first floated earlier this year. Trump said Tuesday that the meeting would take place "probably in early June," or "a little before that" — if it takes place at all, Jacobs reported.
The Washington Post noted that it was unclear what Trump was referring to when he mentioned direct talks, given that the U.S. and North Korea do not have diplomatic relations. He may have been implying communication between "higher-level contacts," the Post said, "a step that diplomats have been expecting as a crucial run-up to the planned summit between Trump and Kim."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Kimberly Alters is the news editor at TheWeek.com. She is a graduate of the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University.
-
Jared and Ivanka's Albanian island
Under The Radar The deal to develop Sazan has been met with widespread opposition
-
Storm warning
Feature The U.S. is headed for an intense hurricane season. Will a shrunken FEMA and NOAA be able to respond?
-
U.S. v. Skrmetti: Did the trans rights movement overreach?
Feature The Supreme Court upholds a Tennessee law that bans transgender care for minors, dealing a blow to trans rights
-
Trump sues LA over immigration policies
Speed Read He is suing over the city's sanctuary law, claiming it prevents local law enforcement from cooperating with federal immigration authorities
-
Obama, Bush and Bono eulogize USAID on final day
Speed Read The US Agency for International Development, a humanitarian organization, has been gutted by the Trump administration
-
The last words and final moments of 40 presidents
The Explainer Some are eloquent quotes worthy of the holders of the highest office in the nation, and others... aren't
-
Senate advances GOP bill that costs more, cuts more
Speed Read The bill would make giant cuts to Medicaid and food stamps, leaving 11.8 million fewer people with health coverage
-
Canadian man dies in ICE custody
Speed Read A Canadian citizen with permanent US residency died at a federal detention center in Miami
-
GOP races to revise megabill after Senate rulings
Speed Read A Senate parliamentarian ruled that several changes to Medicaid included in Trump's "One Big Beautiful Bill" were not permissible
-
Supreme Court lets states ax Planned Parenthood funds
Speed Read The court ruled that Planned Parenthood cannot sue South Carolina over the state's effort to deny it funding
-
Trump plans Iran talks, insists nuke threat gone
Speed Read 'The war is done' and 'we destroyed the nuclear,' said President Trump