Trump to meet Kim later this year

WASHINGTON, Aug 20: US President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he would meet Kim Jong Un later this year, seeking to revive the bond he claims to have forged with the leader of nuclear-armed North Korea in his first term.

Trump told reporters at the White House it was important to "get along" with Kim, adding in an unusually precise assessment that Pyongyang now had 57 "very powerful" nuclear weapons.

But Trump's sudden focus on Kim and his scaling back of joint US-South Korean military drills have alarmed Asian allies -- while sparking speculation that he is seeking a foreign policy win as his Iran war stalls.

"Yeah, I will be," Trump said during a tour of a new helipad at the White House, when asked if he planned to meet Kim later in 2026. �"AFP