United States President Donald Trump arrived in Vietnam on Tuesday hours after North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s arrival in the South East Asian country for their second summit. The two leaders are scheduled to meet in Hanoi on February 27 and 28.
The two leaders had met for the first time on June 12 in Singapore for a historic summit, following which Kim had committed to the “complete denuclearisation” of the Korean Peninsula.
While Trump arrived in the country aboard Air Force One on Tuesday, Kim travelled by train up to Dong Dang border station and was then driven to Hanoi, BBC reported.
Before leaving the United States, Trump had said he was “looking forward to a productive summit”.
On February 9, Trump had said announced the dates of the second summit and said he was meeting Kim to “advance the cause of peace”.
Kim Jong-un, in his New Year address, claimed that Pyongyang has taken practical steps towards denuclearisation. If the US responds with practical and trustworthy measures, bilateral relations will “develop wonderfully”, he had said. However, he had added that North Korea will have to find a “new way to defend sovereignty” if Washington persists with imposing sanctions on them.
In December 2018, North Korea warned the US that new sanctions imposed by Washington could derail its plans to dismantle its nuclear programme. The month before, North Korea threatened to resume its nuclear programme if the US did not lift sanctions on the country. Later that month, Washington abruptly postponed high-level talks with Pyongyang.
Limited-time offer: Big stories, small price. Keep independent media alive. Become a Scroll member today!
Our journalism is for everyone. But you can get special privileges by buying an annual Scroll Membership. Sign up today!