President Trump said Thursday that negotiations to restart a denuclearization summit with North Korea are “going along very well,” while a top North Korean official prepares to deliver a letter to Mr. Trump from leader Kim Jong-un.
“To me, it’s been very positive,” the president told reporters at Joint Base Andrews as he departed for Texas. “Hopefully, we’ll have a meeting on the 12th [of June].”
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo met Wednesday night and again Thursday in New York City with North Korean Vice Chairman Kim Yong-chol to discuss preparations for the possible summit in Singapore.
Kim Yong-chol is expected to travel to Washington Friday to deliver a letter to Mr. Trump from Mr. Kim.
“I look forward to seeing what’s in the letter,” Mr. Trump said. “It’s very important to them.”
He said the summit negotiations are “in good hands,” adding that a summit could become more than one meeting, or it might not happen at all.
“I want it to be meaningful,” the president said. “It doesn’t mean it gets all done at one meeting, maybe you have to have a second or a third. And maybe we’ll have none.”
Mr. Trump also tweeted Thursday morning, “Very good meetings with North Korea.”
A senior State Department official, speaking on Wednesday night in New York, described the talks between Mr. Pompeo and Kim Yong-chul as “the two top dogs on each side are meeting to see what needs to be done in the two weeks…for the possibility of a summit.”
“We’ve been clear that what we’re looking for is CVID — complete, verifiable, irreversible denuclearization,” the official said. “And in order for a summit to be successful, the North Koreans have to do things that they have not done before.”
Very good meetings with North Korea.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 31, 2018
• Dave Boyer can be reached at dboyer@washingtontimes.com.
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