"Kim Jong Un has always treated me with great respect": Donald Trump says he "gets along well" with North Korean leader

US President Donald Trump said North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has always treated him with great respect highlighting their personal rapport and saying his approach is aimed at making the situation on the Korean Peninsula saferSpeaking to reporters Trump said he had met Kim on multiple occasions and that the two leaders understood each other He contrasted his relationship with Kim with what he described as the North Korean leaders attitude towards previous US presidentsTrump highlights relationship with Kim Jong UnTrump said his personal relationship with Kim had remained positive and that he believed the two leaders understood each otherKim Jong Un has always treated me with great respect and we met on two primary occasions spoke and spent time I understand him He understands me I get along with him You know he didnt like Biden he didnt like Obama he didnt like anybody but I get along with him very well Now what Im doing is making things safer just the opposite Trump saidTrump has previously highlighted his meetings and correspondence with Kim as part of his efforts to reduce tensions between Washington and PyongyangHis latest remarks came as his administration considers changes to US military activities with South Korea including the scale of joint exercises conducted by the two countriesTrump orders reduction in joint military exercisesTrump recently instructed Secretary of War Pete Hegseth to substantially reduce joint military exercises with South Korea citing his relationship with Kim and his assessment of the drillsIn a post on Truth Social Trump said he was unhappy that the United States had previously agreed to participate in the joint exercisesBased on my very good relationship with Kim Jong Un of North Korea I am not happy with the fact that the United States has long ago agreed to participate in Joint Military Exercises with South Korea Trump saidTrump has argued that the exercises are costly and could send an unnecessarily hostile message to North KoreaTrump calls military drills costly and inappropriateTrump described the joint exercises as expensive and said they were inappropriate given his relationship with the North Korean leaderHe said the exercises sent a signal that was totally inappropriate and hostile to North Korea which he claimed had been unthreatening and respectful during his presidencyThe comments reflect Trumps stated preference for direct engagement with Kim and his belief that maintaining a personal relationship with the North Korean leader can help reduce tensions on the Korean PeninsulaAt the same time joint military exercises between the United States and South Korea have long been a central part of their defence cooperation and preparednessExercises to be reduced not cancelledTrump said it was too late to cancel the planned exercises altogether but instructed Hegseth to significantly reduce their scaleTherefore and based on the fact that it is too late to cancel I have instructed Secretary of War Pete Hegseth to substantially reduce the Joint Military Exercises Trump saidThe decision comes amid continued attention on the security situation on the Korean Peninsula and the USSouth Korea military allianceTrumps comments suggest that his administration intends to balance military preparedness with his preference for reducing tensions with North KoreaTrump says approach is aimed at reducing tensionsTrump maintained that his approach towards Kim was intended to make the situation safer rather than increase the risk of confrontationWith inputs from ANI