WEB DESK
Even as US President Donald Trump has said that his summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is back on for June 12th in Singapore, the focus of the talks will likely be on whether the 2 sides can reach an effective agreement regarding the North’s denuclearization.
Trump announced on Friday that the historic summit will happen as initially scheduled. He described the meeting as the start of a process and suggested that more summit talks could follow.
Trump said he would not remove sanctions until North Korea agrees to denuclearization. But he also said he doesn’t want to “use the term maximum pressure anymore” as the 2 sides are “getting along.”
He said he thinks the summit will ultimately be a very successful process.
The US government has urged North Korea to abandon its nuclear weapons in a complete, verifiable and irreversible manner. It says the North should start the process soon and complete it over a short period.
But Pyongyang wants to carry out denuclearization in phases. It also demands that Washington guarantee the survival of the regime and end military threats.
Trump has not made it clear whether there has been any progress in closing the gaps regarding denuclearization.