Washington (CNN) Republican Senate leaders on Thursday voiced no objections to President Donald Trump's apparent defense of North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un's strong-arm tactics, instead highlighting their hopes for peace on the Korean Peninsula.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell told CNN that Trump's eyebrow-raising defense of Kim's authoritarian tactics is fine so long as a peaceful resolution in the region can be reached.

In an interview with Fox News on Wednesday, Trump, who said he and Kim "understand each other," seemed to justify the dictator's brutal actions against his own people.

"I mean, I could go through a lot of nations where a lot of bad things were done," Trump said.

Asked by CNN about the remarks in a Capitol Hill hallway Thursday, McConnell declined to criticize the President.

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