Trump meets with Singapore leader as U.S. races to finalize details for North Korea summit

Source: The Washington Post




By David Nakamura and Philip Rucker
June 11 at 8:31 AM

SINGAPORE — President Trump and his team projected confidence Monday on the eve of a high-stakes summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, vowing that the United States would not repeat past missteps in negotiating with the rogue, nuclear-armed nation.

“The United States has been fooled before — there’s no doubt about it,” Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told reporters here as the two sides raced to finalize summit details. “Many presidents previously have signed off on a piece of paper only to find the North Koreans didn’t promise what we thought they had or actually reneged on their promises,” he added. “Despite any past flimsy agreements, the president will ensure no potential agreement fails to adequately address the North Korean threat.”

On his final day before meeting Kim, Trump sought to consolidate support from key allies, speaking by phone with South Korean President Moon Jae-in and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who have been in close coordination with the White House for months. The president, who also met here with Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, voiced optimism in a morning tweet: “Great to be in Singapore, excitement in the air!”

Sitting down for lunch with Lee, Trump said: “We’ve got a very interesting meeting in particular tomorrow, and I just think it’s going to work out very nicely.”

Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-meets-with-singaporean-leader-as-us-races-to-finalize-details-for-north-korea-summit/2018/06/11/b70e78f2-6d2c-11e8-bf86-a2351b5ece99_story.html