US President Donald Trump today predicted "tremendous success" in his upcoming groundbreaking talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and said he believes Pyongyang would honour its commitment not to conduct missile tests before their meeting.
Trump, on Friday, stunned the world by announcing that he has accepted a North Korean invitation to meet Kim Jong-un. The announcement was first made by a visiting South Korean delegation led by its national security advisor. Trump later confirmed the news.
"North Korea has not conducted a Missile Test since November 28, 2017 and has promised not to do so through our meetings. I believe they will honour that commitment!" Trump tweeted.
And a few hours later, a confident Trump told reporters that his policy on North Korea would be a tremendous success.
"I think North Korea is going to go very well, I think we will have tremendous success. I think this is going to be something very successful," he told reporters before boarding Marine One en route to Moon Township in Pennsylvania.
"We have a lot of support. So, I think North Korea is going to go very well. The problem is they wouldn't be shooting off missiles in the meantime, and they're looking to de-nuke. So that'd be great," Trump said.
A day earlier, the White House had said that Trump will not meet Kim Jong-un until the North Koreans take "concrete and verifiable" steps to meet the commitment they have done for the meeting.
In another tweet, Trump said that the mainstream media was startled and amazed at his decision on Friday.
"In the first hours after hearing that North Korea's leader wanted to meet with me to talk denuclearization and that missile launches will end, the press was startled & amazed," he said.
"They couldn't believe it. But by the following morning the news became FAKE. They said so what, who cares!" Trump tweeted.
In a series of tweets, Trump gave details of his telephonic talks with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Chinese President Xi Jinping. During these talks, he also spoke with them about America's trade deficit with them.
"Spoke to Prime Minister Abe of Japan, who is very enthusiastic about talks with North Korea. Also discussing opening up Japan to much better trade with the US Currently have a massive USD 100 Billion Trade Deficit. Not fair or sustainable. It will all work out!" Trump tweeted.
In another tweet, Trump said he spoke at length with Xi about the meeting with Kim Jong-un.
"President Xi told me he appreciates that the US is working to solve the problem diplomatically rather than going with the ominous alternative. China continues to be helpful!" said the US President.
However, the mainstream US media continued to be skeptical of Trump's move on North Korea.
The New York Times in a lead story described it as a gamble. The decision that Trump took during his meeting with South Korean national security advisor Chung Eui-young in the Oval Office of the White House was on the spot.
"Trump accepted on the spot, stunning not only Chung and the other high-level South Koreans who were with him, but also the phalanx of American officials who were gathered in the Oval Office," the daily reported.
"OK, OK," Trump said, cutting short the discussion. "Tell them I'll do it," the president said, according to The Wall Street Journal.
The Washington Post in an editorial said Trump is right to negotiate with North Korea, but he needs a plan.
"If Trump believes that North Korea is ready to denuclearize, he is almost certainly wrong. Which raises the question: Does the president have a strategy for using the meeting to US advantage?" the paper's editorial board wrote.
Former State Department Spokesman John Kirby said that there is no guarantee that Trump will succeed in his new diplomatic push with North Korea.
"But, I think we should all support the effort," he said.
"This is a moment for all Americans. Trump's big stick has become something of an olive branch. We should not fail to help him grasp it," Kirby wrote in an op-ed on CNN website.
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