U.S. President Donald Trump said Tuesday that a top North Korean official is heading to New York, indicating a historic summit between the leaders of the two countries could still happen.

"Meetings are currently taking place concerning Summit, and more. Kim [Yong] Chol, the Vice Chairman of North Korea, heading now to New York," Trump said in a tweet.

Tweet

Kim Yong Chol is a former top spy and is often described as the right-hand man of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

The senior official has been closely involved with the North's talks with South Korea and the U.S. His visit to America would be a rare one for such a high-ranking North Korean official, and signals a meeting between Trump and Kim Jong Un may still be moving ahead.

On Thursday, Trump called off the highly anticipated denuclearization summit that was planned for June 12 in Singapore. "Sadly, based on the tremendous anger and open hostility displayed in your most recent statement, I feel it is inappropriate, at this time, to have this long-planned meeting," Trump said in a letter to Kim Jong Un.

U.S. stocks dropped after the cancellation announcement, but ended the week with slight gains. Stock index futures fell Tuesday morning as traders worried about political turmoil in Italy and Spain. U.S. stock markets were closed Monday for the Memorial Day holiday.

The U.S. was planning to announce new sanctions on North Korea as soon as Tuesday, but is holding off indefinitely amid talks between the two countries, The Wall Street Journal reported Monday, citing an unnamed U.S. official.

— Reuters contributed to this report.