Uncertainty lingers as summit kicks off
US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un have begun their second nuclear summit with a one-on-one discussion and an intimate dinner as hard questions swirl about what the American president will demand and Pyongyang might be willing to give up.
The two leaders and their aides are encamped in Vietnam’s capital Hanoi after long journeys by plane, train and automobile – Trump on Air Force One, Kim in an armoured railcar and limousine – for two days of talks addressing perhaps the world’s biggest security challenge: Kim’s nuclear programme.
Although many experts are sceptical about whether Kim will give up the nuclear weapons he likely sees as his best guarantee of continued rule, there was a palpable, carnival-like excitement among many in Hanoi as final preparations were made for last night’s summit opening.
Trump opened his visit yesterday with morning meetings with Vietnam’s president and prime minister before turning his attention to Kim. Official greetings were to give way to a short one-on-one discussion before what was described as a social dinner with an exclusive guest list.
Trump and Kim were to have a series of additional official meetings today.
Kim, who arrived first, spent yesterday travelling around the Vietnamese capital in his limousine. With a squad of bodyguards in tow, he visited sections of Hanoi, including his nation’s embassy, where a loud cheer went up as he entered the compound.
Trump arrived later, and shook hands with dignitaries on a red carpet flanked by Vietnamese troops in crisp white uniforms. Adults and children peered out upper-floor windows, holding cellphones, to capture his arrival at his hotel
In Hanoi, soldiers, police and journalists thronged the streets outside Kim’s hotel, and hundreds of eager citizens stood behind barricades hoping to see the North Korean leader. Dozens of cameras flashed as some citizens screamed and used their mobile phones to capture Kim’s arrival.
The leaders first met last June in Singapore, at a summit that was long on historic pageantry but short on any enforceable agreements for North Korea to give up its nuclear arsenal.
Trump laid out ultimate goals for both the US and Kim before leaving Washington. ‘‘We want denuclearisation, and I think he’ll have a country that will set a lot of records for speed in terms of an economy,’’ he said.
Trump has praised Pyongyang for ceasing missile tests, and has appeared to ease up on demanding a timeline for disarmament. He hopes that Kim, who is seeking relief from crushing US sanctions, will opt to give up his nuclear weapons programme in exchange for help revitalising his country’s economy.
‘‘Vietnam is thriving like few places on earth. North Korea would be the same, and very quickly, if it would denuclearise,’’ Trump tweeted yesterday. ‘‘The potential is AWESOME, a great opportunity, like almost none other in history.’’ –AP