Trump-Kim summit to take place on June 12

The preparations for the summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un next Tuesday in Singapore are going well with “significant progress” made, the White House said today, painting an upbeat picture of the unprecedented meeting.

White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said the two leaders would first meet at 9:00 am local time (6:30 am IST) and that President Trump was receiving daily briefings from his national security team.

With just one week to go to the summit, hosted by Singapore, very few details have been publicly confirmed.

It remains unclear exactly where in the city state the two leaders will meet.

But Washington has made it clear that sanctions would not be lifted against North Korea unless it gave up its nuclear weapons.

Commenting on the upcoming summit, Sanders said, “I can tell you the president has been receiving daily briefings on North Korea from his national security team, and I can also tell you the schedule tentatively, for that first meeting will be on June 12 at 9:00 AM Singapore time, and take place June 11, 9:00 PM East Coast time.” The Trump administration, she said, is actively preparing for the summit between the US President and the North Korean leader.

There was initially much uncertainty over whether the summit would go ahead at all, and it was briefly called off last month by Trump after a dispute with the North Koreans.