Historic summit all set to start
Trump, Kim arrive in Singapore
FINAL preparations are under way in Singapore for tomorow’s historic summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.
US and North Korean officials are meeting today at the Ritz Carlton in this island citystate to negotiate before a meeting meant to settle a standoff over Pyongyang’s nuclear arsenal. It comes as officials are revealing more details about meeting, the first between a US president and North Korean leader.
A US official said that after a handshake scheduled for 9am tomorrow, Trump and Kim would first meet translators before they open the meeting to their respective advisers.
The American president tweeted: “Great to be in Singapore, excitement in the air!”
Still, even as he turned his attention to the summit, Trump continued his blistering attacks on Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, saying “Fair Trade is now to be called Fool Trade if it is not Reciprocal.” Again accusing the longtime US ally of unfair trade practices, Trump added: “Then Justin acts hurt when called out!”
Trump and Kim arrived in Singapore hours apart yesterday.
Trump descended from Air Force One into the steamy Singapore night, greeting officials and declaring he felt “very good” before being whisked away to his hotel via a route lined with police and photo-snapping onlookers.
A jet carrying Kim landed hours earlier. After shaking hands with Singapore’s foreign minister, Kim sped through the streets in a limousine, two large North Korean flags fluttering on the hood, surrounded by other black vehicles with tinted windows and bound for the luxurious and closely guarded St Regis Hotel.
Kim smiled broadly as he met Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.
“The entire world is watching the historic summit between (North Korea) and the United States of America, and thanks to your sincere efforts we were able to complete the preparations for the historic summit,” Kim told Lee through an interpreter. Trump will meet Lee today. Trump has said he hopes to make a legacy-defining deal for the North to give up its nuclear weapons, though he has recently sought to minimise expectations, saying more than one meeting may be necessary. The North has faced crippling diplomatic and economic sanctions as it has advanced development of its nuclear and ballistic missile programmes.
Experts believe the North is on the brink of being able to target the entire US mainland with its nuclear-armed missiles, and while there’s deep scepticism that Kim will quickly give up those hard-won nukes, there’s also some hope that diplomacy can replace the animosity between the US and the North.
White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said Sung Kim, the US ambassador to the Philippines who has taken the lead on 0negotiations with the North, will hold a “working group” with a North Korean delegation to discuss final preparations for the meeting.
It’s unclear what Trump and Kim might decide Tuesday.
Pyongyang has said it is willing to deal away its entire nuclear arsenal if the US provides it with reliable security assurances and other benefits. But many say this is unlikely, given how hard it has been for Kim to build his programme and given that the weapons are seen as the major guarantee to his holding on to unchecked power.