President Donald Trump, in an interview airing Thursday, said he'd like to see the denuclearization of North Korea take place immediately, but admitted a "phase-in may be necessary."
"We're going to see. I'd like to have it done immediately," Trump told Fox News' Brian Kilmeade, in an interview recorded Wednesday and airing Thursday on "Fox & Friends."
"But, you know, physically, a phase-in may be a little bit necessary, we will have to do a rapid phase in, but I'd like to see it done at one time."
He also told Kilmeade that "we will see what happens" concerning whether the planned summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un will still take place in Singapore on June 12.
"Right now we are looking at it, talking about it," he said. "We have certain conditions. We will see what happens. There is a good chance. And it would be a great thing for North Korea if that happens.
"Most importantly, it would be a great thing for the world. We will see what happens."
Chung Eui-yong, national security adviser to South Korean President Moon Jae-in, said on Tuesday that Seoul was "99.9 percent" sure the meeting would move forward, South Korea's Yonhap News Agency reported.
However, North Korea last week threatened to cancel the meeting over the United States' call for the full denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.
The country says it needs its nuclear weapons to ensure its security and has cited the example of former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, who was executed by rebel forces during an uprising in October 2011. He had agreed to give up his nuclear program in the 2000s.
North Korea is also angry over recent comments made by Vice President Mike Pence that compared North Korea to Libya, calling the statements "stupid" and "ignorant" and warning that it is willing to pull out of the summit.
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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