Expert Believes a Trump-Kim Summit this Year is Very Unlikely
Bruce Klingner has the same opinion I have that Kim Jong-un right now doesn’t really need anything from the U.S. to warrant a summit. Right now all their needs are being met due to their growing relationship with Russia. Why would Kim chum up to Trump now and possibly upset Putin? Trump would have to offer a deal Kim can’t refuse in order to secure a summit. I think at best what happens is that at the regional forum in China in November the two get pictured greeting each other and shaking hands:
A prominent expert said Tuesday that he sees a “slim-to-none” chance of another meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, noting that the resumption of their summitry depends on how low the United States sets the bar or how willing Trump is to make concessions.
Bruce Klingner, senior fellow at the Maureen and Mike Mansfield Foundation, made the remarks during a forum in Washington, amid speculation that Trump could seek a summit with Kim during his next trip to Asia, likely to attend a regional forum in Shenzhen, China in November.
“I think overall, the chance of a meeting is sort of slim to none, and slim just rode out of town,” he said during the forum hosted by the Korea Economic Institute of America.
“But it could still happen. It depends on sort of how low the U.S. sets the bar or how willing Trump is to offer concessions,” he added. (……..)
The expert pointed out that Pyongyang does not feel the need to engage with the U.S. for assistance given its deepening cooperation with Russia and improved ties with China.
“North Korea right now feels (it is) in the strongest position it’s been for quite some time. It’s getting 14 to 20 billion or more, or billions of dollars in food, fuel, funding, and military technology from Russia. Its trade with China has largely resumed to pre-COVID levels,” he said.
“It’s getting about a billion dollars a year from cryptocurrency crime, so it doesn’t need the U.S. and sanctions relief as it did several years ago.”
You can read more at the link.
