TrumpKim talks spark hope of nuclear detente

PARIS: World powers on Friday hailed the announcement of Trump-Kim talks as a “glimmer of hope” of denuclearisation on the Korean peninsula.

South Korean National Security Advisor Chung Eui-yong said the historic meeting would take place by the end of May. South Korean President Moon Jae-in said the news was “like a miracle”.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said “a united international stance, including sanctions, certainly offers a glimmer of hope. “It would of course be wonderful if we could see an easing of tensions because... the nuclearisation in North Korea has been a source of great concern for all of us,” she said.

In UK, a Downing Street spokesman said: “We have always been clear that we want Kim Jong Un to change path and put the welfare of his people ahead of the illegal pursuit of nuclear weapons,”

The European Union said the meeting was a “positive development” which could “create necessary conditions towards a negotiated solution.” Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov said it was “a step in the right direction”, stressing it was necessary to “normalise the situation around the Korean peninsula.”

The International Atomic Energy Agency said it was hoping for “concrete progress” and added it had continued to monitor the North’s nuclear programme, including through the use of satellite imagery. AFP