The White House has reportedly said U.S. President Donald Trump remains open to engaging with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un to achieve a fully denuclearized North Korea. 

According to Reuters, a White House official made the remark on Monday local time when asked about a statement from Kim’s powerful sister, Kim Yo-jong, who made it clear that negotiations between Washington and Pyongyang with the aim of denuclearizing the North are out of the question. 

In the statement, Kim Yo-jong conceded that the personal relationship between her brother and the U.S. president is “not bad,” but reaffirmed the North’s long-standing stance against denuclearization talks with the U.S. 

Kim Yo-jong said that if Washington intends to use the personal relationship between the two leaders as a way to end the North’s nuclear weapons program, its efforts will be met with mockery.

The Trump administration has maintained that the United States seeks the complete denuclearization of North Korea and the president is willing to pursue diplomacy, including a summit with the North, to achieve that goal.