Trump to go to Singapore directly after G7 for Kim summit

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US President Donald Trump on Thursday held out the prospect of inviting the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) leader Kim Jong Un to the White House if he deemed next week's summit a success while also signaling he was willing to walk away if he thought talks did not go well.

At a White House news conference with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Trump also repeated what he said last week that it was possible he and Kim could sign an agreement to end the 1950-53 Korean War, which was concluded only with a truce, not a peace treaty.

Trump listens as Shinzo Abe speaks during a news conference in the Rose Garden of the White House, June 7, 2018. /VCG Photo

"We could sign an agreement, as you know that would be a first step. We're looking at it, we're talking about it with a lot of other people," Trump told reporters. "That's probably the easy part. The hard part remains after that."

Trump added that he hoped someday US relations with Pyongyang government could be normalized.

The main issue for the June 12 summit in Singapore is the US demand for the DPRK to abandon a nuclear weapons program that now threatens the US.

The DPRK has rejected giving up its arsenal unilaterally and defends its nuclear and missile programs as a deterrent against what it sees as US aggression. The US stations 28,500 troops in the Republic of Korea (ROK), after the Korean War.

Abe speaks during a news conference with Trump in the Rose Garden of the White House, June 7, 2018. /VCG Photo

At the meeting with Abe, Trump said he promised to raise with Kim the subject of Japanese citizens abducted by the DPRK, after Abe focused on the issue during an earlier conversation.

"He talked about it long and hard and passionately and I will follow his wishes and we will be discussing that with (the) DPRK absolutely, absolutely," Trump said.

According to a statement issued by White House spokesperson Sarah Sanders, Trump will leave the Group of Seven (G7) summit in Canada before Saturday noon.

Then he will travel directly to Singapore from Canada for his upcoming meeting with Kim on Tuesday, read the statement.

"G7 Sherpa and Deputy Assistant to the President for International Economic Affairs Everett Eissenstat will represent the United States for the remaining G7 sessions," it added.

Earlier on Thursday, Trump told the media that the duration of his stay in Singapore has not been decided. "One, two, three -- depending on what happens," he said. "It's going to be much more than a photo op. I think it's a process."

Source(s): Reuters