North Korea suffering, doesn't need new sanctions, says Donald Trump

US President Donald Trump on Saturday said that he would stop new sanctions on North Korea. He said the country was suffering and he valued his relationship with its authoritarian leader Kim Jong Un. "They are suffering greatly in North Korea. They're having a hard time in North Korea," he said. "And I just didn't think additional sanctions at this time were necessary. Doesn't mean I don't put them on later but I didn't think additional sanctions at this time were necessary," he said.

Trump shed light on his tweet a week ago that took Washington by surprise in which he said he was rolling back sanctions on North Korea that the Treasury Department had planned.

A month after his latest summit with Kim ended in stalemate in Vietnam, Trump said he got along "very well" with the young leader, adding: "We understand each other." "I think it is very important you maintain that relationship at least as long as you can," Trump said.

Earlier, the White House had said, US President Donald Trump is ready to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong-un again for denuclearisation talks.

Donald Trump had said that he is “very, very disappointed” with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un if reports that work is underway to rebuild a long-range rocket site are confirmed. Speaking to reporters, Trump said “it’s too early to see” if the information about work at the North Korean site is true. Warning he’d be disappointed, he added: “I don’t think I will be, but we’ll see what happens.”  Trump and Kim met last week in Vietnam to negotiate on getting rid of North Korea’s nuclear arsenal, but the summit broke up early with no progress.

US National Security Advisor John Bolton told ABC News that Trump's walk out from his meeting with Kim was "friendly" and it is not a reflection that the talks broke down.        

I don't really think it broke down. I think the president did exactly the right thing, he said, referring to the failed summit between the two leaders in Hanoi in Vietnam on February 26 and 27.