President Trump on Friday said the U.S. will have relations with North Korea, touting his personal relationship with Kim Jong Un, who rules the nuclear-armed country with an iron fist and has soldiers fighting on the front lines of Russia’s war in Ukraine.

Leader Kim Jong Un pledged to pursue "sustained countermeasures," citing security ties between the U.S. and its regional allies.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has vowed to bolster his nuclear weapons program in response to the U.S.’s enhanced security partnership with South Korea and Japan. Last year, the U.S. expanded bilateral military exercises with South Korean and trilateral training with South Korea and Japan.