Trump says he welcomes Russia, China 'helping us' on North Korea

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump said Friday he welcomes the roles of Russia and China in negotiating with North Korea over its nuclear arsenal.

"I appreciate that Russia and China are helping us," he told reporters at the White House.

Russian President Vladimir Putin held a first summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on Thursday in a move seen as a response to the failure of a Kim-Trump meeting in Hanoi in February, where talks broke down without any agreement.

Trump indicated that he does not see China and Russia as rivals in the struggle to influence North Korea and that they are all on the same page.

"China is helping us because I think they want to. They don't need nuclear weapons right next to their country," Trump said.

"I think we're doing very well with North Korea. A lot of progress is being made," he added.

"I appreciated President Putin's statement yesterday. He wants to see it done also. I think there is a lot of excitement for getting a deal done with North Korea."