Donald Trump has indicated he would like to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un during his trip to Asia, though senior sources in the US government are claiming no such meeting has yet been planned multiple sources are indicating.

According to Al Jazeera one anonymous source said “the president, of course, has expressed his willingness to meet with Kim Jong Un in the future. It is not on the schedule for this trip.”

Trump, is now on his way to Malaysia and South Korea as part of a broader regional tour. He told reporters before departing the US capital that he would like to meet Kim, though he appeared uncertain whether or not that would happen. “He knows I’m going there,” Trump said, referring to the North Korean leader.

Speaking later aboard Air Force One, the president added “I’d be open 100%. I get along very well with Kim Jong Un” Al Jazeera continued.

South Korea’s unification minister, Chung Dong-young had said earlier in the day that there was a possibility of a meeting taking place while Trump is in South Korea next week for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Forum.

Still, US officials have downplayed the likelihood of another Trump–Kim encounter, which would be the first since the pair’s historic meetings in 2018 and 2019. The two leaders last met inside the Demilitarised Zone (DMZ) separating North and South Korea in late June 2019, when they pledged to restart nuclear talks. The talks ultimately collapsed months later.

However, the prospect of renewed diplomacy between Washington and Pyongyang has lingered since Kim’s remarks last month suggesting a willingness to speak to the outside world – on the condition that the US drops its insistence that North Korea dismantle its nuclear programme first.

“Personally, I still have fond memories of US President Trump,” Kim said in a rare statement that reignited speculation of back-channel communications.

Trump has also spoken warmly of his past interactions with the North Korean leader. In August, he said: “Someday, I’ll see him. I look forward to seeing him. He was very good with me.” Trump then added that he knew Kim “better than anybody, almost, other than his sister.”