Since his assumption of office on January 20, U.S. President Donald Trump has expressed his intention to resume communication with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in order to revitalize diplomacy. Despite this, Pyongyang has not directly responded to Trump's offer, arguing that U.S.-led hostilities against North Korea have intensified since Trump took office.
On February 28, North Korea announced that it had conducted strategic cruise missile tests earlier last week, with the purpose of demonstrating to its adversaries its counterattack capability and the readiness of its army in nuclear operations. Following these tests, which constitute the fourth missile trial from the North this year, Kim Jong Un ordered his army to be fully prepared to use nuclear weapons.
According to experts, it is unlikely that Kim will accept Trump's offer in the short term, as he is currently focused on supporting Russia's war against Ukraine by supplying weapons and troops. It is speculated that Kim Jong Un might consider resuming diplomacy with Trump when he believes he cannot maintain his country's current cooperation with Russia.
During Trump's first term, the leaders of North Korea and the United States met three times between 2018 and 2019 to discuss North Korea's nuclear program. However, this diplomacy failed due to disagreements regarding U.S.-led economic sanctions against North Korea.
Recently, in a show of force, a U.S. aircraft carrier arrived at the South Korean port of Busan in response to North Korea's cruise missile tests. This deployment aimed to demonstrate the military alliance between the United States and South Korea against Northern threats, as well as to enhance the interoperability of the combined military assets of both countries.
It is expected that the presence of the aircraft carrier will cause discomfort in North Korea, which perceives U.S. military asset deployments as threats to its security and has previously responded with missile tests.
