Washington, Jun 15 (AFP) Defence Secretary Jim Mattis today praised a "possible new path to peace" with North Korea, but warned the US must remain vigilant to countries pursuing nuclear weapons.

His remarks came after a historic summit in Singapore this week between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, where the men signed a joint statement in which Kim committed "to work toward complete denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula."

Quoting Trump at the summit, Mattis said: "The past does not have to define the future." "But while a possible new avenue to peace now exists with North Korea, we remain vigilant regarding pursuit of nuclear weapons anywhere in anywhere in the world," Mattis said at a US Naval War College graduation ceremony in Rhode Island.

Earlier today, Trump told reporters that he has "largely solved" the North Korean nuclear problem. (AFP)

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