Donald Trump Announced Possibility of Postponing Meeting with North Korean Leader

Donald Trump, the President of the United States, said on Tuesday, May 22, that there is a possibility that the meeting with Kim Jong Un, the leader of North Korea, may be "postponed." However, he stated that the other side is "serious" about negotiating the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. Mr. Trump, who was hosting the President of South Korea at the White House, said, "There is a possibility that the meeting will not take place on the previously announced date." He added, "If it does not happen now, it may happen later." Mike Pence, the Vice President of the United States, also said on Tuesday that the U.S. is hopeful for the meeting between the leaders of the U.S. and North Korea on June 12, but no concessions have been made to the country. In an interview with Fox News Radio, he stated, "Plans for holding this summit are moving forward. We are hopeful about it. But let me be clear that U.S. policy has not changed, and no concessions have been proposed or made." He emphasized that the proposal for holding this summit was made by the North Korean leader. Although the date for this meeting has been set for June 12, Kim Jong Un has recently opposed the U.S. condition of halting North Korea's nuclear program. Concurrently with these developments, the United Nations has asked major companies involved in oil transactions to cooperate with the organization to enforce sanctions aimed at limiting North Korea's crude oil imports. The UN Security Council intensified sanctions against Pyongyang last year in response to North Korea's missile tests that threaten U.S. territory. According to these sanctions, North Korea can only import five million barrels of crude oil and 500,000 barrels of refined petroleum per year. However, a UN Security Council panel of experts stated in March that more oil is being sold to North Korea through illegal methods. This panel reported that it is investigating illegal oil transfers to North Korea and the role of major oil companies in these transactions. The head of this panel told Reuters that major oil companies have been asked to cooperate in enforcing these sanctions and to carefully examine the possibility of their oil being transferred to North Korea by third parties. The UN Security Council panel overseeing sanctions against North Korea sent a letter on May 10 to oil companies in the region and refineries, particularly in Singapore, requesting their cooperation. All companies are required to respond within one month of receiving this letter, and at the end of this period, the names of companies that did not cooperate will be published. In its March report, the Security Council panel identified a company named Trafigura, based in Switzerland, as the main source of oil transactions that were later sold to North Korea. This was the only multinational company mentioned in that report. Trafigura denied involvement in illegal oil transactions and stated that it was unaware that its oil had reached North Korea. Several major companies active in the Asian oil market announced that they have implemented necessary measures to prevent violations of the sanctions. Shell stated that it includes conditions in its transactions to prevent oil transfers to sanctioned countries, and British Petroleum also said it has complied with all regulations related to these sanctions.