USA TODAY International Edition
Questions surround Trump-Kim summit
Where the two leaders will meet is uncertain
President Trump surprised much of the world by announcing he had agreed to talk with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in a historic meeting by May. The move came after Trump had spent much of last year trading insults with Kim, and North Korea launched a record number of ballistic missile tests. Here are key developments to watch for leading up to the unprecedented summit:
Will the meeting happen?
It is looking that way, but the White House added some confusion after Thursday’s announcement about the meeting. Until then, the White House had said it wanted to see “concrete” actions by North Korea before the United States would agree to meet with the rogue nation about nuclear disarmament. White House press secretary Sarah Sanders suggested Friday that a meeting between Trump and Kim was still contingent on those unspecified conditions. “We are not going to have this meeting take place until we see concrete actions that match the words and the rhetoric of North Korea,” she told reporters.
Are there conditions that North Korea must follow?
The White House later clarified that North Korea only needs to live up to what it already pledged: to suspend its tests of missiles and nuclear weapons and to refrain from opposing joint U.S.-South Korea military exercises, which are expected to begin in the next few weeks. In other words, the summit is still on track.
“Kim Jong Un spoke with the South Koreans and made this overture, they’re going to … cease missile testing, cease nuclear testing, and they’ve agreed to not object publicly to the up-
coming South Korea, United States joint military exercise,” White House deputy press secretary Raj Shah said Sunday on ABC’s This Week. The annual military exercises were delayed until after the Winter Olympics held in South Korea. In a tweet, Trump expressed confidence North Korea would meet those conditions.
Where will they meet?
A location hasn’t been decided yet and could be a source of friction. The location is critical for the signal it sends. For example, if Trump travels to North Korea to meet with Kim, that would appear to give the North Koreans an upper hand. Shah told ABC it was unlikely that Trump would travel to Pyongyang, but he didn’t rule anything out. A White House meeting is also unlikely. The two sides have little time to decide.
What’s the next step?
South Korean President Moon Jaein, the driving force behind this peace effort, is slated to meet with Kim in April. That session will be closely watched because it could set the conditions for Trump’s own meeting with Kim. Since Moon became president last year, he has made the prospect of peace with North Korea a central part of his administration’s policy. Moon invited North Korea to the Olympics and then pushed the White House to meet with Kim.
Another diplomatic meeting next month could also shape Trump’s summit with Kim. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will meet with Trump to discuss North Korea. Japan has been a close ally with Washington to pressure North Korea to end its nuclear weapons program, and Abe was surprised with Trump’s sudden decision to meet with Kim. Japan said it welcomed Kim’s agreement to discuss denuclearization and said it was a victory for the “maximum pressure” policy of the United States and its allies.
What about the American captives?
North Korea is still holding three Americans captive, and it is not clear whether they would be part of the talks between Trump and Kim.
“America does have as a priority getting the return of those three American citizens just as quickly as we can,” CIA Director Mike Pompeo said Sunday on CBS’ Face the Nation.