Trump, Xi Said Committed to North Korea Denuclearization

June 2026
By Kelsey Davenport

U.S. President Donald Trump said he has been in communication with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un but declined to provide any details about the exchange of messages.

Trump’s comments came as he was leaving Beijing May 15 following a two-day summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping, which included discussions about North Korea’s nuclear weapons program.

When asked by reporters on Air Force One about the nature of his communications with Kim, Trump said it “doesn’t matter.” Trump said that the two leaders have a good relationship and that Kim has “been respectful of our country.”

In a May 17 fact sheet released after the summit, the White House said Trump and Xi “confirmed their shared goal to denuclearize North Korea.”

Although UN Security Council resolutions require North Korea to dismantle its nuclear weapons program, China has moved away from emphasizing denuclearization in recent statements.

When Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Guo Jiakun was asked to confirm the accuracy of White House statement on denuclearization during a May 18 press conference, he said “China’s position and policy on the Korean Peninsula issue maintain continuity and consistency.” China is “committed to encouraging relevant parties to face up to the root cause and crux of the Korean Peninsula issue … and make constructive efforts towards easing tensions and maintaining peace and stability in the region,” he said.

Kim has said he will not negotiate with the United States, as long as the Trump administration insists on denuclearization. (See ACT, October 2025.) Since U.S.-North Korean diplomacy broke down during Trump’s first term, Kim has continued to expand the country’s nuclear weapons program and emphasized that its status as a nuclear-armed state is irreversible. (See ACT, October 2022.)

Before the Trump-Xi summit, Kim inspected a new warship that Pyongyang says will carry nuclear-armed missiles when it is deployed in June. Deployment of the ship comes several months after North Korea’s Ninth Party Congress announced plans to focus naval upgrades on nuclear weaponization. (See ACT, April 2026.)

The state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported May 8 that Kim visited the destroyer, named the Choe Hyon, the previous day and took part in a “navigation test to assess various maneuvering elements of the destroyer.” The test took place in the Yellow Sea, 120 nautical miles offshore.

According to KCNA, Kim reaffirmed “the steadfast will of our Party to build a powerful navy at any cost” and received a report on the progress of two additional Choe Hyon-class destroyers under construction. Another Choe Hyon-class destroyer, named the Kang Kon, is already complete.

When the Choe Hyon was completed in April 2025, Kim attended the launch ceremony and noted in a speech that the ship would carry hypersonic strategic cruise missiles and tactical ballistic missiles.

North Korea is increasingly focused on sea-based nuclear weapons systems. A report on the Ninth Party Congress in February noted that “nuclear weaponization of naval surface and underwater forces” will be a main component of North Korea’s plans to upgrade its navy.

In addition to expanding the role of sea-based nuclear weapons, North Korea’s parliament reportedly agreed to constitutional changes, including the command and control of the nuclear arsenal.

Kim has sole control over the country’s nuclear forces, but NK News, citing an unverified document describing the changes, reported May 6 that a “new provision also allows Kim to delegate authority over the use of nuclear forces to the state nuclear forces command organization.

The constitutional changes also removed references to reunification with South Korea. This removal is consistent with Kim’s previous statements. In December 2023, he said that “reunification can never be achieved.” (See ACT, January/February 2024.)

In addition to expanding the nuclear weapons program, Kim is focused on strengthening military defenses on the border with South Korea.

During a May 17 meeting with commanding military officers, KCNA reported that Kim called for “strengthening the first-line units and other major units in military and technical aspects as an important decision to more thoroughly deter war.” The border between North Korea and South Korea, already heavily militarized, must be turned into “an impregnable fortress,” he said.