North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on Tuesday made the first public mention of his proposed meeting with United States President Donald Trump. According to state media, he discussed the talks at a party meeting, AFP reported.

Kim delivered a report “on the development of the recent situation in the Korean peninsula” at the meeting. He also mentioned his meeting with South Korean President Moon Jae-in on April 27, the state-run KCNA news agency reported.

The development comes a day after Trump said his meeting with Kim will be held “in May or early June”, Politico reported. “We’ve been in touch with North Korea,” the US president said at a Cabinet meeting. “We’ll be meeting with them sometime in May or early June, and I think there will be great respect paid by both parties.”

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Trump made the announcement after North Korean officials told the US that Kim was willing to discuss denuclearising his country. “Hopefully, we’ll be able to make a deal on the de-nuking of North Korea,” he said on Monday.

On March 8, it was reported that the US president had accepted North Korea’s invitation for a meeting with Kim. While there is still no clarity on where the two leaders will meet, Sweden could be a possible venue.

Tensions between the US and North Korea escalated in 2017 after Pyongyang stepped up its nuclear efforts. Trump had warned North Korea a number of times against boosting its nuclear weapons programme, and the two leaders had frequently traded ridicule, insults and threats.