Trump says N.Korea suffering, doesn't need new sanctions

US President Donald Trump has reaffirmed that he would stop new sanctions on North Korea, saying the country was suffering and he valued his relationship with its authoritarian leader Kim Jong Un.

Trump shed light on his tweet a week ago that took Washington by surprise in which he said he was rolling back sanctions on North Korea that the Treasury Department had planned.

Trump's



announcement last week on the sanctions raised eyebrows as he said he was reversing sanctions that had been announced that day but which had not.

Trump's warm rapport with Kim and reluctance to cause economic harm comes in stark contrast to his stance on other US adversaries such as Iran and Venezuela, on which his administration has relentlessly imposed sanctions.