The White House on Friday rejected arguments that President Trump is giving North Korea a political win by agreeing to meet with Kim Jong Un, and said the meeting will not take place until Pyongyang takes “concrete steps” toward denuclearization.
“The president is getting exactly what he wants. He is getting the opportunity to have the North Koreans actually denuclearize. Nothing is changing on the United States position,” said press secretary Sarah Sanders.
“I definitely don’t think that the president is getting nothing when we’ve already said … that the president will not have the meeting without seeing concrete steps and concrete actions,” she added.
Trump announced late Thursday that he would meet with the North Korean dictator by May, after a South Korean delegation briefed administration officials on Kim’s “commitment to denuclearization” and willingness to engage in talks.
While the White House has touted the development as an important step toward permanent denuclearization, some have questioned whether a face-to-face meeting will lend credibility to the North Korea’s authoritarian ruler. Sanders pushed back on such criticism and said the summit represents historic progress.
“The president is getting promises out of North Korea that have not been made in any recent years,” she said.
