Trump Could Discuss North Korea Nukes, Peace Treaty In Possible Kim Summit

US President Donald Trump could consider a more pragmatic approach to negotiations with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un if the two meet for a potential summit, according to Anthony Ruggiero, a former National Security Council official. Ruggiero has suggested that discussions could include the possibility of tacitly acknowledging North Korea's nuclear programme, a formal peace treaty and changes to US-South Korea military exercises.

Ruggiero, who served as the NSC's director for North Korea during Trump's first administration, made the assessment in an opinion article published by The Hill. His comments came after Trump expressed an intention to meet Kim later this year. There has also been speculation that Trump could seek talks with Kim during a possible Asia trip linked to the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Shenzhen, China, in November.

According to Ruggiero, negotiations could involve Washington accepting the reality of North Korea's nuclear weapons programme while seeking verifiable limits on its nuclear arsenal and long-range ballistic missile capabilities. He also suggested that Trump could offer a peace treaty formally ending the Korean War, improved political and economic ties and a permanent end to US-South Korea military exercises. He further proposed that Washington could facilitate future negotiations between North and South Korea.

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The suggestions come amid questions over whether a renewed Trump-Kim engagement would continue to prioritise the complete denuclearisation of North Korea or shift towards arms control and reducing tensions. Those concerns intensified after Trump referred to North Korea as possessing 57 “very powerful” nuclear weapons and did not directly answer whether denuclearisation would remain his objective. The US State Department subsequently reaffirmed Washington's commitment to the complete denuclearisation of North Korea, while a US official maintained that there had been no change in policy.

Ruggiero also proposed that any potential agreement should require North Korea to withdraw troops and military assistance supporting Russia's war in Ukraine. He suggested that Trump could eventually travel to North Korea or meet Kim at a neutral location to sign an agreement. At the same time, he argued that Washington could increase pressure on Pyongyang by imposing sanctions on North Koreans operating in China, as well as Chinese companies and individuals allegedly assisting North Korea in evading sanctions.

Trump and Kim held three face-to-face meetings during Trump's first term, beginning with their Singapore summit in June 2018, followed by talks in Hanoi in February 2019 and a meeting at Panmunjom on the inter-Korean border in June 2019. Ruggiero was the NSC director for North Korea from 2018 to 2019 and was involved in the administration's “maximum pressure” policy and preparations for the summits. Any renewed engagement would therefore mark a return to the direct leader-level diplomacy pursued during Trump's first presidency.

Also Read: Trump Says Personal Understanding With Kim Jong Un Could Ease Korean Peninsula Tensions