Trump says he appreciates Russia, China for help on North Korea

US President Donald Trump said Friday that he appreciates the help of Russia and China in negotiating the dismantlement of North Korea's nuclear weapons program.
  
Trump told reporters at the White House that "a lot of progress" is being made with North Korea and that he thinks there is "a lot of excitement" for reaching a deal with the regime.
  
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Russian President Vladimir Putin held their first summit in Russia's Vladivostok on Thursday, some two months after Trump and Kim's second summit in Vietnam collapsed with no agreement.
  
"I appreciated President Putin's statement yesterday. He wants to see it done also," Trump said. "I have a great relationship with Kim Jong-un. I appreciate that Russia and China is helping us."
   

(Yonhap)

Trump did not respond directly to a question about Kim's remarks to Putin, which, according to North Korean state media, included criticism of the US for its "unilateral attitude" and "bad faith" at the Hanoi summit.
  
The North Korean leader also stated that peace and security on the Korean Peninsula will "entirely depend on the US future attitude," while his country will "gird itself for every possible situation."
 
The Hanoi summit broke down because the North had asked the US for more sanctions relief than Washington was prepared to give for Pyongyang's offer to dismantle its main nuclear facility in Yongbyon.
  
Last week the North called for the replacement of U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo with a "more careful and mature" negotiator. Pompeo later dismissed the remark, saying he will continue to lead the negotiations on the US side.
  
Trump did not address a related question on Friday.
  
The Kim-Putin summit was widely regarded as a move to shore up Russia's support for North Korea's efforts to get sanctions relief.

Kim has also held four summits with Xi Jinping of China, the North's sole major ally and largest trading partner.
  
Trump said he thinks China is helping the US because they don't want nuclear weapons at their doorstep but also "because of the fact that we are in a trade deal, which, by the way, is going very well. (Yonhap)