Trump-Kim sit-down full of promise ... and potential peril

The planned summit between the U.S. and North Korea could be a pivotal moment for “peace” — as President Trump put it — but the meeting is also fraught with big risks on both sides.

When Trump and Kim Jong Un sit down on June 12, it will be historic — the first summit between a sitting U.S. president and a North Korean leader — and come with a buildup for a potential breakthrough.

“I think this will be a very big success,” Trump said as three freed detainees from North Korea arrived back on U.S. soil yesterday. “Some great things can happen, and that’s what I hope.”

So much for lowering expectations.

But remember this: just last year, Trump and Kim were both threatening to obliterate each other’s nations with nuclear weapons.

And both leaders are unpredictable and blustery, not usually considered ideal traits for negotiating a complex and difficult peace pact.

If the president comes home empty-handed or the talks end up collapsing amid even worse rancor, it would be a serious blow not just to future peace but also to Trump’s political capital — and he doesn’t have much now.

So Trump especially will be seeking a diplomatic victory, something he can tout in the middle of the ongoing investigation into Russian collusion and the Stormy Daniels payoff.

What better way to distract attention from the Mueller probe than come home from Singapore with an agreement by North Korea to dismantle its nuclear weapons program?

Trump would love to be compared with Ronald Reagan and his historic summits with the former Soviet leader MIkhail Gorbachev, which resulted in a Cold War-era arms treaty. Or to Richard Nixon’s successful visit to China.

The only problem is, at what price?

Kim will clearly be looking for some kind of victory of his own, and may seek concessions, such as ending the trade sanctions that have banned exports from North Korea, in exchange for tamping down his nuclear program.

Can the U.S. really trust that Kim will do what he says? That’s something Trump has to take into account as he heads to the negotiating table. And Trump also has to make sure anything he does won’t conflict with the positions of U.S. allies.

And Kim will likely also be wondering how much trust he can put in Trump, especially considering the president just withdrew the U.S. from the anti-nuclear pact with Iran.

But if Kim and Trump can put their personalities and thundering rhetoric aside, there just might be room for some agreement that serves the political interests of both leaders.