On October 26, the White House responded to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's suggestion that improving U.S.-North Korea relations would require recognition of North Korea's nuclear status, affirming that President Donald Trump is open to dialogue without any preconditions. However, the administration emphasized that its goal of denuclearization remains unchanged. This response came after Kim's remarks at the Workers' Party meeting, where he hinted that rescinding the hostile policy towards North Korea could lead to improved relations with the U.S. if his country's status as a nuclear power is acknowledged.

The article recalls Trump’s previous interactions with Kim, which included three historic summits aimed at stabilizing the Korean Peninsula; notably, the first summit in Singapore in June 2018 led to agreements on establishing new relations and pursuing complete denuclearization. Follow-up talks in Hanoi in 2019 fell apart due to disagreements over denuclearization measures and sanctions relief, and subsequent meetings in Panmunjom did not yield further progress, resulting in a standstill in negotiations.

As Trump is expected to visit China between late next month and early April, diplomats speculate on the potential for renewed indirect or direct communication between the U.S. and North Korea. However, analysts suggest that if North Korea insists on nuclear status recognition as a starting point for negotiations, gaining U.S. acceptance of such a condition would be challenging, complicating future diplomatic efforts between the two nations.