U.S. President Donald Trump says he "respects" the fact that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un may be "starting to respect" the United States.
 
Trump made the comment at a "Make America Great Again" rally in Phoenix, Arizona on Tuesday, adding that "maybe, probably not, but maybe something positive can come about." 

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson also noted on Tuesday that North Korea has demonstrated "some level of restraint" since the UN Security Council adopted new sanctions against it.

After exchanging harsh rhetoric, Trump said last week that the North was "wise" to back off from a threat to strike around the U.S. territory of Guam with missiles. High-level officials at the U.S. State and Defense Departments have recently stressed that Washington prefers diplomatic solutions to resolve the current North Korea problem. 

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