Global Reactions to the Trump-Kim Meeting

The historic meeting between Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un, the leaders of the United States and North Korea in Singapore, has received global acclaim and expressed hope for peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula. Yukiya Amano, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency, announced hours after the meeting that the agency is ready to verify matters concerning North Korea. On Tuesday, June 12, Mr. Amano welcomed the meeting between the U.S. President and the leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea in Singapore, which includes Pyongyang's commitment to move towards complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un engaged in face-to-face dialogue in Singapore after months of verbal tension and mutual threats. Yukiya Amano further stated that the agency will closely monitor the negotiations between the two countries that will implement the outcomes of the Singapore meeting. He added that the IAEA is prepared to carry out any verification in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea at the request of the relevant countries, with the authorization of the Board of Governors. In response to the meeting between Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un, Sergey Lavrov, the Russian Foreign Minister, described the meeting as a 'constructive' step, stating, 'The mere fact that this meeting took place is certainly constructive.' The Russian Foreign Ministry also issued a statement evaluating the normalization of relations between Pyongyang and Washington as part of the final resolution of issues on the Korean Peninsula, including the nuclear issue. Shinzo Abe, the Prime Minister of Japan, expressed satisfaction with the meeting between Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un, stating that Tokyo will closely cooperate with the U.S., South Korea, China, and Russia to resolve North Korea's missile and nuclear program. Federica Mogherini, the EU's foreign policy chief, also considered the Singapore meeting a 'significant and necessary step' towards improving inter-Korean relations and denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula. Mogherini emphasized that the goal of the international community remains the 'complete, verifiable, and irreversible denuclearization' of the Korean Peninsula. Geng Shuang, spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, reminded that there is a possibility of revising, amending, and lifting sanctions on North Korea if there is a change in its policy. China is North Korea's largest trade-political partner. Boris Johnson, the UK Foreign Secretary, described the Singapore meeting as an important step towards regional stability, which is vital for the global economy. A statement signed by the leaders of North Korea and the U.S. emphasized that the Korean Peninsula is moving towards complete nuclear disarmament and the United States commits to providing security guarantees to North Korea.