Trump, Kim keen to meet by May
UNITED STATES: US President Donald Trump has hailed ‘‘great progress’’ in talks with North Korea after agreeing to meet Kim Jong-un in what would be an unprecedented summit.
‘‘Kim Jong-un talked about denuclearisation with the South Korean Representatives, not just a freeze,’’ Trump said on Twitter yesterday in Washington. ‘‘Also, no missile testing by North Korea during this period of time. Great progress being made but sanctions will remain until an agreement is reached. Meeting being planned!’’
White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders said earlier the meeting would occur at ‘‘a place and time to be determined’’.
The announcement was first made by South Korean National Security Council chief Chung Euiyong, who said Kim had ‘‘expressed his eagerness to meet President Trump as soon as possible’’ and that Trump ‘‘said he would meet Kim Jong-un by May to achieve permanent denuclearisation’’.
Kim was committed to getting rid of his nuclear weapons and would refrain from any more nuclear or missile tests, and also understood that routine US-South Korea joint military exercises must continue, Chung said. He added that the campaign of pressure against North Korea would continue ‘‘until North Korea matches its words with concrete actions’’.
A US official said the US made no concessions in order to pave the way for a meeting with Kim, and was not backing off from applying sanctions or maximum pressure.
US National Security Adviser H R McMaster would brief the United Nations Security Council on March 12, according to a European diplomat who asked not to be identified.
Initial reaction among analysts was mixed, with some saying Trump risked legitimising Kim’s regime, while others welcoming the potential for a breakthrough.
A summit with an American president had been a top North Korean foreign policy goal for more than 20 years, said Jeffrey Lewis, director of the East Asia Nonproliferation Program at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey, California.
‘‘We need to talk to North Korea,’’ Lewis wrote. ‘‘But Kim is not inviting Trump so that he can surrender North Korea’s weapons. Kim is inviting Trump to demonstrate that his investment in nuclear and missile capabilities has forced the United States to treat him as an equal.’’
South Korean President Moon Jae-in said: ‘‘This is just a start, and we can’t be optimistic just yet.’’
Trump and Kim traded increasingly tense barbs after the US president took office in January 2017. Trump vowed to bring ‘‘fire and fury’’ down on North Korea if forced to do so, while Kim derided the president as a ‘‘dotard’’ as he ramped up his missile and nuclear tests. Tensions appeared to ease after South Korea agreed to let North Korean athletes participate in the Winter Olympic Games last month.