The White House maintained its position that it cannot confirm media reports that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un visited China this week.

When asked if President Donald Trump has been briefed on the reported trip, press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said on Tuesday that the president is obviously being kept up to speed on a number of fronts when it comes to North Korea and preparations. 

The spokeswoman said that as of right now, she's not in a position to confirm or deny those reports from the podium, adding that the Trump-Kim meeting is still expected to take place before the end of May.

Meanwhile, Defense Secretary James Mattis said that it “kind of looked like” Kim went to Beijing, but told reporters at the Pentagon that he didn’t know.  

According to Reuters, a senior U.S. official who follows North Korea closely said the available evidence suggested Kim had gone to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping, but stressed that has not been confirmed.