North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has unexpectedly dangled the prospect of renewed talks with the United States, but only if Washington lets go of its long-held demand that Pyongyang abandon its nuclear arsenal. In a rare and carefully watched address to North Korea’s rubber-stamp parliament on Sunday, September 21, 2025, Kim broke his silence on the U.S. president by name, saying he still harbors "fond memories" of Donald Trump and would consider sitting down for negotiations—if, and only if, the U.S. drops what he called its "obsession with denuclearisation."
According to state media reports cited by KCNA, Kim told the Supreme People's Assembly, "If the United States drops the absurd obsession with denuclearising us and accepts reality, and wants genuine peaceful coexistence, there is no reason for us not to sit down with the United States." This marks the first time since Trump’s return to the Oval Office in January that Kim has publicly referred to the American leader, signaling a potential shift—or at least a new phase—in the long-frozen relationship between the two nations.
But if anyone expected a dramatic change in North Korea’s nuclear stance, Kim quickly put those hopes to rest. He made it absolutely clear that the country’s nuclear weapons program is not up for negotiation. "The world already knows well what the United States does after forcing other countries to give up their nuclear weapons and disarm," Kim said, as reported by Yonhap News Agency and the Associated Press. "We will never lay down our nuclear weapons," he declared, underscoring the regime’s deep-seated mistrust of U.S. intentions and a determination to maintain its strategic deterrent at all costs.
Kim went further, ruling out any prospect of trading away the nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief. "There will be no negotiations, now or ever, about trading anything with hostile countries in exchange for lifting sanctions," he said. The message: North Korea wants respect and recognition as a nuclear state—without having to give up the very weapons it believes guarantee its survival.
These statements come at a delicate moment for the region. It’s been six years since peace talks between the U.S. and North Korea collapsed in Hanoi in 2019, after both sides reached an impasse over the scope of nuclear dismantlement and the pace of sanctions relief. Since then, dialogue has frozen solid, with little more than rhetorical barbs and missile tests to show for intermittent diplomatic efforts. Now, with a new liberal government in South Korea pushing for renewed engagement, pressure is mounting on President Trump to take the diplomatic initiative and break the deadlock.
South Korea’s leaders have openly urged Trump to lead the way in reopening talks with Pyongyang. They see the moment as ripe for a fresh approach, especially with Trump once again in the White House and Kim signaling, however conditionally, a willingness to return to the table. Yet, the terms Kim is demanding—an end to all talk of denuclearization—pose a fundamental challenge to decades of U.S. policy, which has consistently insisted that North Korea must disarm before sanctions can be lifted or relations normalized.
Kim’s remarks also shed light on his personal view of Trump, with whom he famously exchanged both threats and flattery during their previous summits. "Personally, I still have fond memories of US president [Donald] Trump," Kim said, a sentiment he echoed in other parts of his speech. He described their initial meetings as positive, suggesting that a personal rapport could still play a role in future diplomacy. But even as he dangled the possibility of talks, Kim made clear that his goodwill does not extend to South Korea.
"We will never unify with a country that entrusts its politics and defense to a foreign power," Kim said, pointedly referring to Seoul’s alliance with Washington. He dismissed the idea of Korean unification as "unnecessary," according to Yonhap News Agency. Relations between North and South Korea have soured dramatically since the failed Hanoi summit, with North Korea suspending all cooperation and ramping up its weapons testing. In recent years, Kim’s regime has drawn closer to Russia and China, further deepening the divide on the Korean Peninsula.
For many observers, Kim’s speech was a master class in diplomatic ambiguity—leaving the door open for talks with the U.S. while slamming it shut on any hopes for inter-Korean reconciliation. The North Korean leader’s insistence on retaining his nuclear arsenal is hardly surprising, given the fate of other regimes that gave up their weapons. Kim referenced this history directly, warning that the world knows what happens "after forcing other countries to give up their nuclear weapons and disarm." The cautionary tales of Libya and Iraq loom large in Pyongyang’s strategic thinking, and Kim’s words suggest he has no intention of following in their footsteps.
Meanwhile, the regional security picture has only grown more complicated. North Korea’s weapons tests have become more frequent and sophisticated, while its diplomatic ties with Moscow and Beijing have strengthened. This realignment has raised alarm bells in Seoul, Tokyo, and Washington, all of whom worry that a more isolated, nuclear-armed North Korea could act unpredictably—or seek to leverage its arsenal for greater concessions.
Despite these risks, Kim’s comments have injected a jolt of uncertainty—and perhaps a sliver of hope—into a diplomatic process that has long seemed moribund. For President Trump, the challenge is as stark as ever: how to engage a regime that insists on being recognized as a nuclear power, without abandoning core U.S. principles or alienating allies in the region. For South Korea’s new government, the stakes are equally high, as it seeks to balance its desire for dialogue with the realities of an increasingly assertive North.
As the world watches for Washington’s next move, one thing is clear: Kim Jong Un is not about to give up his nuclear weapons. But by offering the prospect of talks—however conditional—he has put the ball squarely in the U.S. court. Whether this leads to real progress or just another round of diplomatic brinkmanship remains to be seen. For now, the possibility of a new chapter in U.S.-North Korea relations hangs in the balance, with both hope and skepticism in the air.