It’s not every day that a senior North Korean official who has the ear of Kim Jong Un visits Washington to hand a personal letter to the U.S. president. But that is precisely what happened on Friday, June 1, when Vice Chairman Kim Yong Chol (commonly referred to as Kim’s right-hand man) traveled to the White House to deliver a missive from his boss. President Trump, who has treated his June 12 summit preparations as if it were a season finale of the “Apprentice,” was no doubt embracing the event as an historical moment in American diplomacy. And, in a way, it is: the last time the Kim dynasty’s number-two man stepped foot in the White House was 18 years ago, when Vice Marshal Jo Myong Rok had a meeting with President Bill Clinton for the purpose of arranging a possible presidential trip to Pyongyang (Clinton decided to prioritize Israeli-Palestinian peace over North Korean missile talks).

There is no denying that the last week of frenzied diplomacy between Washington and Pyongyang has been impressive. Three separate American teams are engaged in three separate countries with their North Korean colleagues, precisely the type of preparation one would expect from two governments sincerely trying to get their leaders together. But despite all of the meetings, photo-ops, and handshakes that have occurred during this time, the Trump administration would be setting itself up for sadness and disappointment if it failed to keep the moment in perspective.