President Donald Trump said on Monday that he would be “honoured” to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un under the right circumstances, despite historic levels of mistrust and tension between the world’s superpower and the rogue state over its nuclear ambitions.

Mr Trump’s comments contrast with his hardline stance on Pyongyang and Friday’s call from Rex Tillerson, US secretary of state, for the UN to impose “painful sanctions” on North Korea to deter its nuclear programme. A weekend ballistic missile test was widely seen as North Korea’s defiant response.

North Korea, which has previously pledged to destroy the US, has become the most urgent national security threat and foreign policy issue facing Mr Trump. President Barack Obama, who said during his 2008 election campaign that he would be prepared to meet Mr Kim, warned Mr Trump of the North Korean threat during their handover talks.