'Willing to invite Kim to US if Singapore meeting goes well'

US President Donald Trump said on Thursday that he is willing to invite North Korea's top leader Kim Jong Un to visit the US for further talks if their meeting in Singapore goes well.

"Maybe we'll start with the White House," Xinhua quoted Trump as saying at a joint press briefing at the White House with visiting Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

"But certainly if it goes well. And I think it would be well received. I think he would look at it very favourably. So I think that could happen," he noted.

Speaking of his upcoming meeting with Kim, Trump said: "I think ... we're going to have a great success. I don't think it will be in one meeting. I think it will take longer than that. This has been going on for many, many decades."

Trump added that Kim's personal letter to him carried a very warm and nice "greeting", which he appreciated very much.

Noting that he believes the meeting is going to "have a terrific success or a modified success", Trump said he would like to see the normalization of bilateral ties once their mutual concerns are solved.

He added that he and Abe have agreed to help the North Korea "if the deal is done".

"We could absolutely sign an agreement", Trump said. "But that's really the beginning. Sounds a little bit strange, but that's probably the easy part; the hard part remains after that."

Speaking of the US "maximum pressure" campaign against the North Korea, Trump said he would not use the term now.

He added that whether he will re-use it in the future depends on the negotiations and the "maximum pressure is absolutely in effect" currently.

"We have a list of over 300 massive, in some cases, sanctions to put on North Korea. And I've decided to hold that until we can make a deal, because I really believe there's a potential to make a deal," he said.

Trump added that he is totally and fully prepared to walk away from the Singapore meeting if it does not go well, as he did to the historic Iran nuclear deal.

"But I hope it won't be necessary," he added.

--IANS

qd