# Trump’s initiatives toward Seoul, Pyongyang confined to ‘media imagery’ — expert

https://mins.news/en/item/28658

- TASS, 2026-08-21 17:08 UTC
- World
- Original: https://tass.com/politics/2176251

> Sergey Lebedev says Trump administration rhetoric toward Seoul and Pyongyang is driven by both foreign-policy goals and the approaching US congressional elections. Trump may seek positive headlines and hope to loosen North Korea’s ties with Russia and China, but the initiatives are likely to remain a media spectacle, with a possible Trump-Kim meeting lacking substantive political content.

## Related coverage

- [‘Tit for tat’: Why is Trump cozying up to North Korea’s Kim Jong Un again?](https://mins.news/en/item/26072) — Al Jazeera, 2026-08-19
- [Trump’s cut to joint drills gives South Korea’s president what he wanted. So why is Seoul uneasy?](https://mins.news/en/item/25770) — The Guardian, 2026-08-19
- [Japan, South Korea react to Donald Trump's snub of South Korea and overtures to Pyongyang](https://mins.news/en/video/25612) — DW News, 2026-08-19