川普：美国为朝核问题发展方向做好两手准备

President Donald Trump said the United States is “willing to go either way” in response to North Korea's development of nuclear-tipped missiles, adding “hopefully it’s going to be the proper way."

The president’s comments came after South Korea said Tuesday the North is willing to start talks with the United States about giving up its nuclear weapons.

Trump's latest remarks on North Korea stand in stark contrast to his previous threat to respond with "fire and fury" to Pyongyang's development of weapons of mass destruction.

“We cannot let that situation fester,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office where he was hosting Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven.

“It would be a great thing for the world” if the current dialogue between Seoul and Pyongyang defuses tensions on the Korean peninsula, Trump said. He also cautioned that the inter-Korean talks “may carry over, it may not,” while noting that “it’s a very tenuous situation.”

A senior U.S. official said the Trump administration is open-minded but skeptical about Pyongyang’s intentions, noting North Korea has a 27-year track record of breaking “every agreement that they’ve ever made with the United States and the international community.”

North Korean leader, Kim Jong Un, "shows no interest in walking away from his nuclear or ballistic missile programs," Lt. Gen. Robert Ashley, director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, told the Senate Armed Services Committee on Tuesday. "Additional missile launches are a near certainty, and further nuclear tests are possible.”

Trump on Tuesday again blamed previous U.S. administrations of both parties for allowing North Korea to develop weapons of mass destruction. Asked if he would be willing to meet Kim Jong Un, Trump replied “We’ll see what happens.”

At a subsequent joint news conference with Prime Minister Lofven, Trump said a possible breakthrough on the Korean peninsula results from U.S. and U.N. sanctions that “have been very, very strong and biting.” He also said “China has been a big help. I think that’s been a factor,” but that Beijing could do more to pressure Pyongyang.

South Korea's top security adviser, Chung Eui-yong, told reporters Tuesday that Pyongyang signaled there was no need to keep its nuclear program if military threats against the country are eliminated. Chung added North Korea was receptive to discussing denuclearization and normalizing relations with the U.S.

Chung was part of a South Korean delegation that just returned from a two-day visit to North Korea, where the group held an uNPRecedented meeting with Kim Jong Un. Representatives of South Korean President Moon Jae-in are to visit Washington this week to brief U.S. officials about the inter-Korean talks.美国总统川普说，美国就朝鲜核问题的发展方向“做好两手准备”，但希望事情能够朝着正确的方向发展。

周二早些时候，韩国表示，朝鲜愿意就放弃核武器与美国进行会谈。

川普最近对朝鲜问题的立场与此前截然相反。此前他曾在推特上说，要以“炮火和怒火”回应平壤的核问题。

川普在白宫椭圆形办公室对记者说：“我们不能让情况恶化。”此前他在这里接待了来访的瑞典首相斯特凡·勒文。

川普说： “如果目前的朝韩对话能够缓解朝鲜半岛的危机，这将对世界是个好事”。 他警告，目前的对话可能成功，也可能失败。

美国政府一位高级官员说，川普政府对朝鲜的意图不做预判，但同时存疑，因为27年来，朝鲜从来没有遵守过任何一项与美国和国际社会达成的协议。

美国国防情报局总监罗伯特·阿什利（Robert Ashley）星期二在美国国会参议院军事委员会作证时说：“金正恩没打算放弃他的的核武器和弹道导弹项目，朝鲜肯定会在不久的将来试射更多导弹，也可能进行更多核试验。”

美国总统川普星期二再次指责美国前几届政府允许朝鲜发展大规模杀伤性武器。当被问及是否会与金正恩会面时，川普表示需要“看情况”。

川普晚些时候在与瑞典首相斯特凡·勒文举行的联合记者会上说，朝核问题上可能出现的突破是因为美国和联合国“强有力，切中要害的制裁”。他还说，“中国帮了大忙，我觉得这也是一个因素”，但是川普说，北京还可以采取更多措施，对平壤施压。

韩国最高安全顾问郑义荣（Chung Eui-yong）星期二告诉记者说，平壤方面暗示，如果朝鲜面临的军事威胁不复存在，那就没有必要继续朝鲜的核项目了。郑义荣补充说，朝鲜愿意考虑与美国围绕去核化和外交关系正常化进行磋商。

郑义荣所在的韩国代表团结束对朝鲜的两天访问回到韩国，他们此行会见了朝鲜领导人金正恩，韩国总统文在寅本周将派特使前往华盛顿，向美国官员介绍会谈情况。