Trump, Kim seek common ground, aim for ‘right deal’
US President Donald Trump and North Korea’s Kim Jong Un appeared to find some common ground in their high-stakes summit yesterday, with Kim suggesting an openness to denuclearisation and allowing a historic US presence in his reclusive nation, even as doubts remained about whether the regime would give up the devastating weapons it believes ensure its survival.
A summit that already bordered on the surreal took another surprising twist as the leaders adopted almost a role reversal during their face-toface discussions in Hanoi. As nervous global capitals looked on, Trump deliberately ratcheted down some of the pressure on Pyongyang, declaring he was in “no rush. We just want to do the right deal”.
But Kim, when asked about denuclearisation during an unprecedented question-and-answer session with journalists, said, “If I’m not willing to do that I won’t be here right now.”
The leaders seemed to find a point of agreement moments later when Kim was asked if the United States may open a liaison office in North Korea. Trump declared it “not a bad idea” and Kim called it “welcomable”. Such an office would mark the first US presence in North Korea.
Over a series of meetings, the two men offered hopeful words at a summit focused on curbing Pyongyang’s pursuit of nuclear weapons, a problem that has bedevilled generations of leaders.
The summit was held against a backdrop of swirling questions: What was Kim really willing to give up? What may Trump demand in the face of rising domestic turmoil? And could the meeting yield far more concrete results than the leaders’ first summit, a meeting in Singapore less than a year ago that was long on dramatic imagery but short on tangible results?
In a sharp break from his rhetoric a year ago, when he painted the threat from Pyongyang as so grave that “fire and fury” may need to be rained down on North Korea, Trump made clear he was willing to accept a slower timetable for denuclearisation. He made little mention of denuclearisation in his opening remarks, ramping down expectations further by saying “I can’t speak necessarily for today but . . . over a period of time I know we’re going to have a fantastic success with respect to Chairman Kim and North Korea.”
Kim fielded questions from Western journalists for likely the first time, with the reporters receiving some coaching from the President, who implored, “And don’t raise your voice, please. This isn’t like dealing with Trump.”
The North Korean leader struck a largely hopeful note, saying, “I believe by intuition that good results will be produced.”
The two-day summit kicked off on Wednesday night with a dinner and meeting.