"Trump Likely to Discuss Tacit Acceptance of N.K. Nukes, End of War, Halting S.K.-U.S. Drills with Kim"

A former U.S. official has predicted that if U.S. President Donald Trump holds a summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, issues such as the tacit acceptance of North Korea's nuclear weapons, a peace agreement to end the Korean War, and the suspension of South Korea-U.S. joint military drills would likely be brought to the table.

Anthony Ruggiero, who served as the National Security Council (NSC) director for North Korea during the first Trump administration, wrote in an op-ed for the U.S. congressional media outlet The Hill on the 27th (local time) that "negotiations between [Trump] and Kim will likely include, at a minimum, a tacit recognition of North Korea's nuclear weapons program."

Ruggiero further noted, "Trump could offer a peace treaty officially ending the Korean War, improvements in political and economic relations, and the permanent suspension of South Korea-U.S. joint military drills," adding that "Trump could also facilitate inter-Korean dialogue."

He suggested that President Trump should insist on verifiable limits regarding North Korea's long-range ballistic missile and nuclear weapons programs.

He also added that any agreement should include North Korea withdrawing its troops and halting military support to Russia, which is at war with Ukraine.

Ruggiero projected that President Trump might travel to North Korea or a neutral location to sign an agreement with Chairman Kim, viewing this as a dramatic scene worthy of intense media spotlight for President Trump.

Ruggiero analyzed that President Trump could secure leverage over Chairman Kim by sanctioning North Korean nationals operating in China, as well as Chinese banks and individuals assisting North Korea in evading sanctions.

He believed that such measures would be comparable to U.S. pressure tactics targeting small-scale Chinese refineries processing Iranian crude oil, and thus would not provoke Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Stating that negotiations with North Korea will not be easy, Ruggiero explained, "Many view North Korea as a backward, hermit kingdom, but it has over 30 years of experience negotiating with the United States and has generally achieved the outcomes it wanted."

At the same time, he defended President Trump's North Korea approach, arguing that while Trump will face criticism for pursuing a summit with Chairman Kim, he deserves credit for pursuing achievable goals, unlike previous administrations that repeated the same negotiation strategies while expecting different results.

Ruggiero served as the NSC director for North Korea from 2018 to 2019, when President Trump held summits with North Korea during his first term.
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.