President Donald Trump provided more insight into his decision to pull some sanctions on North Korea, saying Friday they simply were not necessary — and because he has a strong relationship with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
"I have a very good relationship with Kim Jong Un. He is somebody that I get along with very well. We understand each other," Trump told reporters at his Mar-a-Lago resort. "They are suffering greatly in North Korea. They're having a hard time in North Korea. And I just didn't think additional sanctions at this time weren't necessary.
"That doesn't mean I don't put them on later, but I didn't think additional sanctions at this time were necessary."
Trump and Kim met face-to-face last year to discuss denuclearizing the Korean peninsula. They met again in February, but the summit ended early when the U.S. entourage, led by Trump, left because of Kim's unwillingness to abandon his nuclear weapons program.
On Friday, Trump said withdrawing the sanctions is a tactic to help maintain his relationship with Kim.
"I think it is very important you maintain that relationship at least as long as you can," he said. "But we get along very well, we have a very good understanding. So I didn't think that those sanctions were necessary at this time."
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