It is good President Donald Trump and North Korea Chairman Kim Jong Un have built a personal relationship, but the issue remains about whether that will lead to denuclearization, former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Bill Richardson said Wednesday.
"Right now the issue is going to be whether he's willing to dismantle maybe some of his nuclear weapons, a moratorium on testing of missiles, or some partial destruction of weapons of mass destruction," Richardson told Fox News' "America's Newsroom." "The good side is they built a personal relationship. That's always important."
However, Kim has done "almost nothing" on denuclearization since his first summit with Trump, so the real test will be whether their relationship will lead to Kim taking "concrete steps" to dismantle some of the weapons.
"He's not going to dismantle all of his arsenal, because it will put him at risk," said Richardson.
He added he thinks Kim wants a formal peace treaty that will finally end the Korean War, which would allow negotiation on the presence of American troops in South Korea.
Richardson said in his experience, North Koreans respond better with negotiations that are held during informal settings, such as at meals or during walks.
"That personal relationship with North Korea and generally all over Asia is critically important," Richardson said. "So far, the summit is off to a good start. But Kim Jong Un is relentless. He's going to bob and weave like a boxer and wants us to make the first move."
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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