Trump plays down need for preparation for talks
WASHINGTON— Heading into his North Korea summit with characteristic bravado, President Trump says that “attitude” is more important than preparation as he looks to negotiate an accord with Kim Jong Un to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula.
He’s also rebuffing any advice from Democrats, alleging in a tweet Friday that they did “NOTHING” on North Korea while in charge. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer has said he’s concerned that the president wants a deal so badly he might strike a bad one.
“Schumer failed with North Korea and Iran, we don’t need his advice!” Trump tweeted.
Preparing to depart Washington for next week’s meeting, Trump dangled before Kim visions of normalized relations with the United States, economic investment and even a White House visit. Char “I acterizing the upcoming talks with the thirdgeneration autocrat as a “friendly negotiation,” Trump said, “I really believe that Kim Jong Un wants to do something.”
Trump’s comments came as he looked to reassure allies that he won’t give away the store in pursuit of a legacy-defining deal with Kim, who has long sought to cast off his pariah status on the international stage. The North has faced crippling diplomatic and economic sanctions as it has advanced development of its nuclear and ballistic missile programs.
“I don’t think I have to prepare very much,” Trump said. “It’s about attitude. It’s about willingness to get things done.”
Declaring the summit to be “much more than a photo-op,” he predicted “a terrific success or a modified success” when he meets with Kim next Tuesday in Singapore. He said the talks would start a process to bring about a resolution to the nuclear issue.
think it’s not a one meeting deal,” he said. Asked how many days he’s willing to stay to talk with Kim, Trump said, “One, two three, depending on what happens.”
Still he predicted he’ll know very quickly whether Kim is serious about dealing with U.S. demands.
“They have to denuke,” Trump said. “If they don’t denuclearize, that will not be acceptable. And we cannot take sanctions off.”
Trump, who coined the term “maximum pressure” to describe U.S. sanctions against the North, said they would be an indicator for the success or failure of the talks.
At another point, Trump said it was “absolutely” possible he and Kim could sign a declaration to end the Korean War. The 1950-53 conflict ended with an armistice but not a formal peace treaty.