The United States President, Donald Trump has now said that the US-North Korea summit is on and will take place on June 12 in Singapore as scheduled.
Last week Trump had cancelled the meeting with the North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un, blaming hostility and anger displayed by North Korea regarding the US-South Korea ‘Max Thunder’ military drills.
The deadlock regarding the fate of the summit broke after the Vice-Chairman of the North Korean ruling Workers’ Party’s Central Committee, Kim Yong Chol visited the White House along with a letter written by Kim and met the US President.
During the meeting that lasted for 90 minutes, Trump and Chol walked from the Rose Garden to the Oval Office, discussing the prospects of the US-North Korea summit, according to the White House.
It is pertinent to note that this was the highest-level meeting between a US President and a North Korean official in 18 years.
According to White House officials, it is unknown what was written in the letter as Trump did not open the envelope.
After the talks, Trump expressed optimism that the relationship between Washington DC and Pyongyang was “building” and called it a “positive thing”, the report said.
Asked about North Korea’s commitment to denuclearisation, the President said, “I think they [North Korea] want to do that [achieving denuclearisation]. I know they want to do that. They want to develop as a country,” Trump said.
Trump further said that his administration will no longer impose sanctions on North Korea.
The United States Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo has said that North Korea could see a brighter future only if it chose the path of denuclearisation and gave up its nuclear weapons.
Pompeo said the US saw a vision of a “strong and prosperous” North Korea.
At a 90-minute working dinner last week, Pompeo and Chol deliberated on whether the US and North Korea can conduct the summit on dismantling the latter’s nuclear weapons program in exchange for concessions.
Chol landed in New York’s John F Kennedy International Airport on Wednesday, becoming the most senior official from North Korea to touch American soil since 2000.