Brooks predicted the earliest possible US-North Korea summit window is between the US midterm elections in November 2025 and the G20 summit in December 2025, with a later summit more likely to contain substantive content. ^[1] Victor Cha, president of the Geopolitics and Foreign Policy Department at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, stated on a podcast that President Donald Trump likely does not have a problem acknowledging North Korea's possession of nuclear weapons. ^[2] Brooks said the reduction of ROK-US joint exercises was 'very rude behavior toward the alliance' and undermined military readiness, US security commitments, and deterrence against North Korea, China, and Russia, while emphasizing the importance of the upcoming trilateral ROK-Japan-US Freedom Edge exercise not being cancelled. ^[3] Victor Cha, CSIS Korea Chair, said North Korea will likely wait for the US midterm election results before engaging in a summit, expecting President Donald Trump to be weakened afterward, which would strengthen North Korea's leverage. ^[4] Vincent Brooks, former commander of US Forces Korea, said at a CSIS-hosted discussion in Washington DC on 2025-10-03 that North Korea is sending constant signals and has left the door open for dialogue by refraining from insulting language toward the US, but is not yet ready to talk. ^[5] Victor Cha explained that President Trump views North Korea's nuclear status as a failure of 35 years of US policy and previous administrations rather than his own fault. ^[6] Victor Cha noted that North Korea might wait until after the November midterm elections before engaging in a potential summit with President Trump. ^[7] Brooks criticized the recent reduction of US-South Korea joint military exercises as a rude act that damages alliance credibility and deterrence. ^[8] Vincent Brooks, former US Forces Korea commander, stated at a CSIS forum that North Korea is sending continuous signals but is not yet fully prepared for dialogue. ^[9] General Vincent Brooks argued that a summit held later in the year would be more likely to have substance compared to one held sooner. ^[10]