Trump expresses optimism for summit with Kim
SINGAPORE (AP) — In the final hours of calm before an unprecedented summit with North Korea, US President Donald Trump forecast a “nice” outcome from what he said would be a “very interesting meeting” today with Kim Jong-un, who was out of public view yesterday.
Both sides were finalizing preparations for the summit, which was to kick off at 9 a.m. today with a handshake between Trump and Kim, an image sure to be devoured around the world.
Trump and Kim planned to meet one on one, joined only by translators, for up to two hours before admitting their respective advisers, a US official said. The official was not authorized to speak publicly about internal deliberations and insisted on anonymity.
The summit will be the first between a North Korean leader and a sitting American president, and could define the fate of millions, along with the leaders’ own political futures.
In Singapore, the island citystate hosting the summit, the sense of anticipation was palpable, with people lining spotless streets yesterday waving cell phones as Trump headed to meet Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.
As Trump and Lee sat down for a working lunch at the Istana house, Trump sounded optimistic, telling Lee yesterday, “we’ve got a very interesting meeting in particular tomorrow, and I think things can work out very nicely.” Trump had earlier tweeted about the “excitement in the air!”
He also thanked Lee for hosting the summit and for his “hospitality and professionalism and your friendship.”
Meanwhile, US and North Korean officials huddled at the RitzCarlton hotel yesterday ahead of the sit-down aimed at resolving a standoff over Pyongyang’s nuclear arsenal.
A second round of meetings was planned for the afternoon as officials worked to lay the groundwork for progress to be made today on substantive issues, according to the official familiar with the preparations.
The meetings also served as a sort of ice breaker as the teams worked to get better acquainted after decades of minimal USNorth Korea contact, the official said.
Trump and Kim arrived in Singapore on Sunday, both staying at luxurious and heavily guarded hotels less than half a mile apart, with Trump at the Shangri-La Hotel and Kim at the St. Regis Hotel.