On Tuesday President Trump said his summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un may not happen in June. This leaves many people questioning whether this meeting will happen or not.
“If it doesn’t happen, maybe it will happen later,” Trump said while speaking with the reporters in the Oval Office. “You never know about deals. I’ve made a lot of deals. I know deals, I think, better than anyone knows deals. You never really know.
Trump added, "It may not work out for June 12."
Trump on meeting with Kim Jong Un: “There’s a very substantial chance that it won’t work out and that’s OK... it may not work out for June 12. But, there’s a good chance that we’ll have the meeting.” https://t.co/Z1N5qB0jeS pic.twitter.com/ovpZms2ceg
— CNN (@CNN) May 22, 2018
Trump said this during a meeting with Moon Jae-in, the South Korean president. The South Korean leader has helped brokered nuclear diplomacy between the United States and North Korea. Moon's visit to Trump comes three weeks before the scheduled meeting between Trump and Kim in Singapore.
Per The Hill:
Moon said the “fate and the future” of the Korean Peninsula depend on the talks. South Korea has urged Trump to resolve the nuclear crisis with Kim through talks.
But North Korea threw the nuclear summit into doubt last week when it scrapped high-level talks with South Korea and threatened to pull out of the talks with Trump if the U.S. continues to demand denuclearization.
North Korean officials also lashed out at Trump’s national security adviser, John Bolton, who suggested a North Korean arms deal could follow a “Libya model.”
Libyan leader Moammar Gaddafi in 2003 surrendered his nuclear and chemical weapons in exchange for sanctions relief, but eight years later, was toppled by NATO-backed rebel forces.
Trump said Kim is “serious” about denuclearization and added the North Korean leader said “he will be extremely happy” if a deal is struck. The president said last week Kim would get “very strong” protections under an agreement, including a guarantee of safety.
“South Korea, China and Japan ... they will be willing to help, and I believe invest very, very large sums of money to make North Korea great,” he said.
Still, Trump acknowledged there is a significant chance the talks could still fall apart.
“Whether or not it happens, you’ll be knowing very soon,” he said.
Check out some of the reactions on Twitter:
Schumer: Trump shouldn't honor Kim Jong Un by putting him on commemorative coin https://t.co/ExoOdk4bvN pic.twitter.com/O9Jc0tpekK
— The Hill (@thehill) May 22, 2018
As I told @marthamaccallum yesterday: It would be a great mistake for Kim Jong-Un to think he can play @POTUS Trump. pic.twitter.com/P6LrYmgGgm
— Vice President Mike Pence (@VP) May 22, 2018
President Trump says the U.S. is moving forward with plans for the June 12 summit with Kim Jong Un. He also raised the possibility that it might not happen or will be delayed.
— NPR (@NPR) May 22, 2018
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