U.S. President Donald Trump said Saturday that he anticipates "tremendous success" in his meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
"I think North Korea is going to go very well. I think we will have tremendous success ... they promised they wouldn't be shooting off missiles in the meantime, and they're looking to de-nuke. They're gonna be great," he said at a rally in Pennsylvania.
The White House announced on Thursday that Trump had accepted an invitation to meet the North Korean leader. South Korean officials said that North Korea was willing to cease its missile testing while talks with the U.S. are ongoing.
Last week Pyongyang for the first time signaled its willingness to return to the negotiating table. On Tuesday, South Korea said its neighbor is willing to talk to the United States about giving up its nuclear weapons.
On Friday, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said any meeting between Trump and Kim would be conditioned on “concrete actions” by Pyongyang.
"We're not going to let this meeting take place unless we see concrete actions" by North Korea, she stressed, adding, "Let's be clear: The United States has made zero concessions.”
North Korea has been seeking to develop a nuclear-tipped missile capable of reaching the U.S. mainland. Trump and Kim have taunted each other through the media in recent months.
In the most recent of its ongoing missile tests, North Korea launched a Hwasong-15 missile, a new type of intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) which officials said can fly over 13,000 km (8,080 miles).
Pyongyang said following the launch that it had test-fired its most advanced missile, putting the U.S. mainland within range, and also declared itself to be "a responsible nuclear power".