Trump has handed a gift to Kim Jong Un and deepened concerns over US reliability

On 17 August 2026, Trump ordered cuts to US-South Korea military drills, citing his ties with North Korea's Kim Jong Un, and praised Kim. South Korea said it was reviewing Trump's comments and hoped for talks between the US and North Korea. Trump also said Kim had replied to his overtures for dialogue.

CNN wrote that Trump had handed a gift to Kim and deepened concerns over US reliability. A key US senator accused Trump of “appeasement”, according to MS NOW, and a former senior US official told Asahi Shimbun that Trump was clearly interested in visiting Pyongyang. A Folha de S.Paulo analysis raised the possibility of a nuclear-armed South Korea.