BREAKING: First Trump-Kim meeting scheduled for 9 am on June 12
The White House said on Monday that the first meeting between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un will take place at 9:00 am Singapore time on June 12.
“We are actively preparing for the June 12th summit between the president and the North Korean leader,” spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said in announcing the timing of the meeting.
We feel like things are continuing to move forward, and good progress has been made.”
“The advance team in Singapore is finalizing preparations and will remain in place until the summit begins,” said Press Secretary Sarah Sanders announcing the timing of the meeting.
Sanders added that Trump was getting daily national security briefings on North Korea in the run-up to the meeting.
“I can tell you the president has been receiving daily briefings on North Korea from his national security team,” said Sanders.
With days to go before the meeting, it remains unclear whether Pyongyang is willing to take that step, or whether it is using the promise of talks as a way of easing Trump’s “maximum pressure” campaign.
Trump last week said he no longer wanted to use that term and indicated that he was willing to embark on a lengthy series of talks that would ease pressure on the regime.
“I think it’ll be a process,” he said after welcoming top official Kim Yong Chol to the White House.
“It’s not — I never said it goes in one meeting. I think it’s going to be a process. But the relationships are building, and that’s a very positive thing.”
Trump also said that there would be no new sanctions while the talks are taking place, although the White House was at pains to say existing economic sanctions will not be removed either.
REUTERS, AFP, AP, US NEWS
(with additional inputs from Shiva Shankar Pandian)
Jung Wook The Kootneeti Team - Korean Monitor
