Former President Obama’s ambassador to Singapore said Monday he supports the Trump administration’s historic talks with North Korea, even if initially runs the risk of giving North Korea the high-profile meeting it’s been seeking for years.
“This is a very good thing,” Kirk Wagar told CNBC Monday. “The issue is, of course, is that the stated foreign policy goal for almost 30 years has been a one-on-one with meeting with the United States president to elevate their stature.”
Wagar said he believes the meeting will be a “unique moment” between Kim and Trump because it comes after decades of hostility between both nations,. However, the diplomat stopped short of calling it a “momentous event” because he thinks it is a small step that paves the way toward a relationship, but will not dramatically change things overnight.
Wagar said a previous U.S. president would have been able to meet one-on-one with Kim, but had not done so because it would have legitimized his regime.
In recent years, the U.S. had only talked with North Korea when Japan, South Korea, China, and Russia also attended the meeting.
[Also read: Gorka predicts progress on Korean War, denuclearization at North Korea summit]
