North Korea Rejects Trump’s Drills-Cut Overture as an Empty Gesture

On 19 August 2026, President Trump said he will meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un later this year and said North Korea has 57 nuclear weapons. Trump has also called for cutting joint military drills with South Korea, and South Korea's president called for military independence.

North Korea rejected Trump's drills-cut overture as an empty gesture, according to the Wall Street Journal. Kim Yo Jong said there would be no Trump-Kim talks and that North Korea still sees the US as hostile, and said she was 'completely unaware' of communications with Trump. North Korean statements also said ties with Trump are excellent but US policy has not changed. Kim Yo Jong denied Zelenskiy's claim that North Korea sent additional troops to Russia.