U.S. President Donald Trump chairs a Cabinet meeting at the White House in Washington, DC, on Jan. 2. AFP

U.S. President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he has received a letter from North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and will be setting up a meeting with Kim ''in the not-too-distant future'' to restart talks about the North's nuclear programs.

''He'd like to meet. I'd like to meet,'' Trump said as he held up the letter during a Cabinet meeting.

Earlier in the day, Trump tweeted: ''Kim Jong Un says North Korea will not make or test nuclear weapons, or give them to others _ & he is ready to meet President Trump anytime.''

Kim has met several times with the leader of South Korea and attended a summit in Singapore with Trump in June. Kim has signed vague statements pledging a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula, but has not described how and when that might occur.

In a New Year's message, Kim hinted at a possible cap on nuclear weapons production if the U.S. took equivalent steps. He did not elaborate. He also stood by his commitment on denuclearization, which does not mean the unilateral ridding of the North's arsenal. Both areas need to be further clarified in negotiations.