"I think it's probably going to be a very successful, ultimately a successful process," Trump told reporters on the White House lawn after meeting with a senior North Korean official in the Oval Office.
According to the US president, he doesn't want to use the term "maximum pressure" regarding Washington's stance toward North Korea anymore. Trump further said, in response to questions, that the transformation of North Korea was possible with Kim remaining in power.
"I didn't like it, but it could be very positive, too," Trump told reporters. "I didn't like the Russian meeting yesterday. I said ‘What's the point purpose of that?' but it could be a positive meeting."
READ MORE: Analyst Explains 'Magic' in Trump's Letter to Kim, Moscow's Signal to N Korea
Earlier in the day, North Korean envoy Kim Yong Chol arrived at the White House to deliver a letter from the North Korean leader to Trump. Leaving the reporters, Trump noted that he hadn't yet read the letter, though he'd said minutes earlier that it was very "interesting."
Trump also said he has no plans to introduce any new sanctions against North Korea unless there is a breakdown in the scheduled talks.
Nevertheless, Washington and Pyongyang continued making preparations for the historic summit, which might be focused on denuclearization as well as bringing peace to the Korean Peninsula. North Korea continued to advertise its willingness to talk, and Trump has now confirmed that the US side intends to meet as planned.
