President Donald Trump is pressing his advisers to arrange a face-to-face meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un as early as this fall, seeking to revive the nuclear diplomacy that the two leaders pursued during Trump’s first term.
According to U.S. officials, Trump has privately discussed the possibility of meeting Kim during his upcoming trip to Asia. One potential opportunity could come in November, when Trump is expected to travel to Shenzhen, China, for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation leaders’ gathering.
Trump’s push comes as diplomatic efforts involving Iran have encountered delays and as some U.S. officials and experts warn that renewed negotiations with Pyongyang could result in an unfavorable agreement that effectively legitimizes a nuclear-armed dictator.
Bruce Klingner, a former CIA officer, criticized the approach, saying it amounts to “appeasing a dictator based on the mistaken perception that a personal relationship will achieve U.S. foreign policy objectives.”
Independent assessments by arms-control experts indicate that North Korea’s nuclear capabilities have expanded considerably since Trump and Kim last engaged in direct diplomacy. The country is now believed to possess more than 100 nuclear warheads, aided by increases in its supplies of plutonium and enriched uranium, according to The Wall Street Journal.
Trump also sought to arrange a meeting with Kim during his trip to Asia last year, but logistical difficulties ultimately prevented the encounter from taking place.
More recently, Trump announced on social media that a joint U.S.-South Korean military exercise would be scaled back, saying the decision was made “based on my very good relationship with Kim Jong Un.” Trump later said the move was connected to South Korea’s failure to assist with reopening the Strait of Hormuz.
South Korea’s embassy in the United States said it hopes the “friendly relations” between Trump and Kim will help produce meaningful dialogue and greater stability on the Korean Peninsula.
Those developments come as South Korean President Lee Jae-myung has called for his country to achieve complete military independence from the United States.
Experts caution, however, that Kim would enter any new negotiations in a substantially stronger position than he held during his previous meetings with Trump. The North Korean leader has strengthened ties with China, expanded cooperation with Iran and Russia, and dispatched thousands of North Korean troops to support Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.
{Matzav.com}
