A senior Pentagon official said South Korean arms purchases from the United States could potentially be an option in striking a deal in the allies' defense cost-sharing negotiations.

U.S. Assistant Secretary of Defense for Acquisition Kevin Fahey made the remark at a forum in Washington on Tuesday in response to a question about whether Seoul purchasing a sizable amount of arms from Washington could help the two sides reach an agreement.

Fahey said U.S. President Donald Trump is a negotiator always seeking to make deals and that he will likely pay attention to such opportunities.

The official added, however, that his views don't necessarily reflect the current situation as he is not involved in ongoing defense cost negotiations.

In previous rounds of talks, Washington reportedly demanded a fivefold increase in Seoul's annual contribution to stationing American troops on the Korean Peninsula from just over 870 million dollars this year to nearly five billion dollars.

While it has become less likely that the allies will renew their Special Measures Agreement before the current deal ends December 31, there's been speculation that arms purchases could be brought to the negotiating table.