conflict with North Korea

The Trump administration tells lawmakers it will apply economic and diplomatic pressure on North Korea to dismantle its nuclear weapons program. (April 26) AP

A "major, major conflict" with North Korea is a possibility for the U.S., but the White House is trying to come up with diplomatic solutions, President Trump told Reuters Thursday.

The current standoff with the hermit nation over its nuclear and missile programs has made such diplomatic efforts difficult in recent weeks.

"There is a chance that we could end up having a major, major conflict with North Korea. Absolutely," Trump told Reuters in an Oval Office interview ahead of his 100th day in office on Saturday.

Nonetheless, Trump said he wanted to peacefully resolve the crisis.

"We'd love to solve things diplomatically but it's very difficult," he told Reuters.

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson told Fox News on Thursday that China has threatened its ally North Korea with sanctions if it does not stop carrying out nuclear tests.

He said: "We know that China is in communications with the regime in Pyongyang. They confirmed to us that they had requested the regime conduct no further nuclear test."

Trump spoke just a day after he and his top national security advisers briefed U.S. lawmakers on the North Korean threat and one day before Secretary of State Rex Tillerson will press the United Nations Security Council on sanctions to further isolate Pyongyang over its nuclear and missile programs.

Trump, asked by Reuters if he considered North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to be rational, said he has no opinion, but that he hopes Jong Un is.

Trump noted that Kim had taken over his country at an early age.

"He's 27 years old. His father dies, took over a regime," he said in the Reuters interview. "So say what you want but that is not easy, especially at that age."