Trump says North Korea summit is ready to go
Speaking to reporters as he welcomed Japanese PM Shinzo Abe to the White House, US president says it 'looks like meeting is set', but it is 'subject always to change. You never know in this world.'
US President Donald Trump said on Thursday his meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Singapore on June 12 was ready to go.
Speaking to reporters as he welcomed Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to the White House, Trump said he and Abe would discuss North Korean issues and trade.
"Looks like the meeting is set. The summit is all ready to go. Subject always to change. You never know in this world," Trump said.
Abe said he hoped the summit would be a dramatic and transformational moment for Northeast Asia.
Trump said North Korea has to give up its nuclear weapons, and the United States could add more sanctions if necessary.
"If they don't denuclearize, that will not be acceptable," Trump said.
"We cannot take sanctions off. The sanctions are extraordinarily powerful. And I could add a lot more but I've chosen not to do that at this time, but that may happen."
Trump said he thought he was very well-prepared for the meeting with Kim. "I don't think I have to prepare very much. It's about attitude. It's about willingness to get things done," he said.
"I think it's going to be a very fruitful meeting."
Trump also said he is "very well prepared" for next week's summit with Kim but added thay the outcome depends less on preparation than "attitude ... willingness to get things done."
Still Trump predicted that he'll know very quickly whether Kim is serious about dealing with US demands.
"I don't think I have to prepare very much," Trump said. "It's about attitude. It's about willingness to get things done."
Trump, who spent the morning before meeting Abe firing off a dozen unrelated tweets, added: "I think I've been prepared for this summit for a long time, as has the other side. I think they've been preparing for a long time also. So this isn't a question of preparation, it's a question of whether or not people want it to happen."
Trump is to huddle with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and National Security Adviser John Bolton Thursday afternoon "to continue their strategic discussions" ahead of the summit, said National Security Council spokesman Garrett Marquis.
