President Donald Trump alarmed allies by scaling back military drills with Seoul while hailing his ties with Pyongyang.
Japan underlined on Tuesday (August 18, 2026) that security cooperation with the United States and South Korea was “critical” for the region’s stability, after U.S.
Mr.
Trump abruptly announced on Sunday that he had ordered the Pentagon to scale back “inappropriate and hostile” military drills with South Korea.
Praise for Kim
Mr. Kim were at, but provided no further detail. File picture of U.S. “I understand him. He understands me. Japanese Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi strongly supported joint security cooperation with key defence backer Washington and neighbour Seoul.
Trump said “it’s very positive” when asked what stage the conversations with Mr. President Donald Trump with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in 2018 | Photo Credit: AP “Kim Jong Un has always treated me with great respect,” Mr. Trump said. His Australian counterpart Richard Marles said Canberra was “very concerned about North Korea’s nuclear programme as well as its missile programme, and we have consistently made that point”. However, its unification ministry — responsible for relations with the North — said it could not confirm whether communications between Kim and Trump had taken place.
