Donald Trump's Optimism About the Fruitfulness of the Meeting with North Korean Leader

As U.S. and North Korean officials finalize the last preparations for the historic meeting of the two countries' leaders in Singapore, U.S. President Donald Trump expressed optimism on Monday regarding the productivity of this meeting. On the same day, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced at a press conference that preparations for the Tuesday meeting of the two leaders are rapidly underway, and everything is happening even faster than we anticipated. The focus of the discussions between Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un, which marks the first meeting of a sitting U.S. president with a North Korean leader, is reported to be on Pyongyang's nuclear program and efforts for denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. Now, one day before this meeting, the U.S. Secretary of State states that this meeting is an 'unprecedented opportunity' to change the course of bilateral relations and 'ensure prosperity and peace' for North Korea. Mr. Pompeo, however, did not comment on the possibility of achieving a quick milestone in light of these negotiations but instead said that this meeting should set a framework for the hard work that needs to follow. He reminded that North Korea must achieve a 'complete, verifiable, and irreversible' process in terms of nuclear disarmament, adding that until this is accomplished, sanctions against Pyongyang will not be lifted. The U.S. Secretary of State also emphasized that if diplomacy does not proceed correctly, measures against North Korea will be increased. Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un arrived in Singapore just hours apart on Sunday and are set to meet tomorrow on Sentosa Island. Meanwhile, Mr. Trump, during a working lunch with the Prime Minister of Singapore, expressed optimism about the outcomes of this meeting, saying that we will have an interesting meeting and I envision this meeting will be very fruitful. Mr. Trump stated the day before that he would know in the first moments of the meeting with the North Korean leader how serious he is about giving up his nuclear weapons program. In addition to Mike Pompeo, John Bolton, John Kelly, and Sarah Huckabee Sanders will accompany Donald Trump in his historic meeting with Kim Jong Un.