U.S. President Donald Trump holstered his fiery rhetoric toward nuclear-armed North Korea and its leader, saying Saturday that he would "absolutely" be open to talks over the phone with Kim Jong Un.

Trump's remarks, which came at a televised news briefing at Camp David in Maryland, were not the first time the U.S. leader has said he would be willing to talk with his North Korean counterpart. But the comments, coming just ahead of the first formal talks between North and South Korea in more than two years, were a break from his more recalcitrant tone toward Pyongyang.

"Sure, I always believe in talking," Trump said Saturday. "Absolutely I would do that, I wouldn't have a problem with that at all." The U.S. president, however, was quick to add that any dialogue would come with conditions, though he did not specify what those may be.