Anthony Ruggiero, former NSC North Korea director under Trump's first term

Says implicit recognition of nuclear program likely; calls for verifiable limits on missiles, weapons

Warns peace treaty, permanent halt to US-South Korea drills also on the table

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and US President Donald Trump shake hands across the MDL at Panmunjom in June 2019. [Yonhap]
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and US President Donald Trump shake hands across the MDL at Panmunjom in June 2019. [Yonhap]

With Donald Trump having publicly expressed his intention to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong-un before the end of this year, a former US official has predicted that any such summit could put tacit acceptance of North Korea's nuclear arsenal, an end-of-war agreement and a halt to US-South Korea joint military exercises on the table.

Anthony Ruggiero, who served as the National Security Council's North Korea director during Trump's first term, wrote in an op-ed published Thursday (local time) in The Hill that future negotiations between Trump and Kim would "most likely include at least an implicit recognition of North Korea's nuclear weapons program."

The assessment suggests the goal could shift away from demanding North Korea dismantle its nuclear weapons as a precondition for talks, toward a more pragmatic approach of managing Pyongyang's already-advanced nuclear capabilities.

Even so, Ruggiero urged Trump to push for verifiable limits on North Korea's long-range ballistic missiles and nuclear weapons program.

"Trump could offer a peace treaty formally ending the Korean War, improved political and economic relations, and a permanent halt to US-South Korea joint military exercises," he wrote, adding that Trump "could also facilitate inter-Korean dialogue."

Ruggiero served as the NSC's North Korea director from 2018 to 2019, when Trump held summits with Kim during his first term.

He also argued that North Korea-Russia military cooperation should be a central agenda item in any new negotiations, saying any agreement should require North Korea to withdraw its troops from Russia and cease military support for Moscow's war against Ukraine.

Ruggiero suggested Trump could travel to North Korea or a neutral venue to sign an agreement with Kim, describing such a scene as one that would generate dramatic media attention — something he said would appeal to Trump.

The analysis comes as Trump has been openly signaling a possible resumption of US-North Korea summitry. Asked on Aug. 19 whether he expected to meet Kim this year, Trump said, "I think so."

Trump also mentioned that North Korea possesses 57 "very powerful" nuclear weapons — a level of specificity that analysts noted was unusual for a sitting US president.

Trump has also taken a series of steps that observers have interpreted as gestures toward Kim, including scaling back the scope of US-South Korea joint military exercises.

While Washington has officially continued to call for North Korea's denuclearization, Trump has recently sidestepped the question. When asked whether denuclearization remained the goal of re-engaging with Kim, he said, "I don't want to talk about that."

Ruggiero argued that Trump could strengthen his negotiating leverage over Kim by sanctioning North Korean nationals operating in China, as well as Chinese banks and individuals helping Pyongyang evade sanctions.

He said pressure comparable to what the US applied against small independent Chinese refineries handling Iranian crude oil could impose real costs on North Korea without destabilizing the broader US-China relationship.

Ruggiero cautioned that negotiations with North Korea would be far from easy. "Many view North Korea as a backward hermit kingdom, but it has more than 30 years of experience negotiating with the United States and has largely gotten what it wanted," he wrote.

At the same time, he defended Trump's approach, arguing that while Trump would face criticism for pursuing talks with Kim, he deserved credit for setting achievable goals — unlike previous administrations that repeated the same negotiating strategies while expecting different results.


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