Biden ready to meet North Korean leader 'without preconditions', says US official

By Alperen Aktas and Riyaz ul Khaliq

ISTANBUL (AA) - US President Joe Biden is open to having a meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un “without preconditions” to talk about the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, said a senior official from the White House.

"They (North Korea) have not responded positively to that offer, but it's still on the table. We are willing to sit down and negotiate without preconditions," White House National Security spokesman John Kirby told Japan's Kyodo News Agency.

"We've got to make sure that we are ready in every other respect to defend our national security interests and those of our Korean and Japanese allies," Kirby.

Biden will host a trilateral summit on Friday with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol in Camp David, the US.

Issues that concern the three nations, including North Korea, will be discussed at the summit.

Reacting to the scheduled Camp David summit, China urged Friday the participants “to uphold true multilateralism amid complex international security situation.”

“The security of one country should not come at the expense of that of others and of regional peace and stability,” China’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin told reporters in Beijing.

“Who is creating conflicts and intensifying tensions? The international community has its own consensus,” said Wang, according to Beijing-based Global Times.

“Attempts to form exclusive small cliques and groups and bring camp confrontation and military blocs into the Asia-Pacific is unpopular and will prompt caution and opposition from regional countries,” he added.