US President Donald Trump is pushing his aides to arrange a meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un by the end of this year, with a possible face-to-face encounter being considered during Trump’s planned Asia trip in November, according to a report by The Wall Street Journal. The reported effort comes as Washington looks again towards direct engagement with Pyongyang, even as the wider diplomatic picture around Ukraine and West Asia remains unsettled.

The White House has not directly confirmed that a meeting is being planned for the coming months. It said only that Trump and Kim “would meet at an appropriate time”. The latest report, however, suggests Trump has been pressing officials to work towards a meeting this autumn, preferably when he is already travelling in Asia. The two leaders have met three times before, during Trump’s first term, but those talks failed to produce an agreement on North Korea’s nuclear programme. Kim was unwilling to accept complete denuclearisation under the terms sought by Washington, while Trump continued to demand major concessions from Pyongyang. There had also been an attempt to arrange contact during Trump’s Asia tour last year. Trump publicly asked reporters on Air Force One to “put out the word”, while North Korea reportedly indicated some openness. The plan eventually could not be arranged because of logistical difficulties at short notice. Trump later said he had held back partly out of consideration for Chinese President Xi Jinping, whose meeting with the US president could have been overshadowed by a Trump-Kim summit.

The latest push follows a notable shift in Trump’s approach towards the Korean Peninsula. He recently ordered the US Department of Defense to substantially reduce military drills with South Korea, arguing that the exercises were sending an inappropriate and hostile signal to North Korea. Trump also said the drills had affected his relationship with Kim, describing his ties with the North Korean leader as very good. He later claimed Kim had responded to the decision, although no details of that communication were made public. What exactly could come from renewed talks is still unclear, particularly because North Korea’s position has changed considerably since the previous Trump-Kim summits.

Pyongyang has strengthened its ties with Russia and China, while North Korea’s military capabilities have continued to grow. Its reported involvement in Russia’s war in Ukraine has also given its forces battlefield experience, adding another factor to the security calculations in the region. At the same time, North Korea has expanded its nuclear arsenal. Independent estimates cited in the report suggest the country has around 60 nuclear warheads and enough fissile material for at least 30 more. In April, Assistant Defense Secretary Robert Kadlec told Congress that North Korea’s nuclear forces were becoming increasingly capable of reaching the US mainland, while its missile forces could strike South Korea and Japan with either nuclear or conventional warheads.

For now, a Trump-Kim meeting remains a reported diplomatic objective rather than a confirmed summit. The coming weeks, particularly preparations for Trump’s November Asia visit, could indicate whether the effort moves beyond internal discussions. Any renewed talks would also have to deal with the nuclear issue, North Korea’s growing military cooperation with Russia and the security concerns of South Korea and Japan. The situation remains fluid, and whether Washington and Pyongyang can return to the negotiating table is still being worked out.