Phnom Penh, February 26, 2019 —
US President Donald Trump arrived in the Vietnamese capital Hanoi on Tuesday for his second summit with the North Korean Kim Jong-un.
Trump touched down on Air Force One shortly before 9pm local time.
Kim had arrived earlier in the day after a 3,000-km journey through China.
Before leaving the US, Trump made it clear that while the goal is the denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula, he was “not in a rush” for North Korea to give up its nuclear weapons as long as the country stays clear of missile testing.
As well as discussing Pyongyang’s pledge to give up nuclear weapons, the two leaders are expected to talk about how to improve their ties.
Trump first met Kim in Singapore eight months ago. It was the first ever summit between a sitting US president and a North Korean leader.
That meeting broke the ice, but this time there will be pressure on both to move beyond what commentators saw as a vaguely worded commitment in Singapore to move towards the complete denuclearisation of the peninsula.
In return, Kim is expected to be offered US concessions such as relief from economic sanctions and a declaration that the 1950-53 Korean War is formally over.
