President Trump announced Thursday that he will meet North Korea's Kim Jong Un on June 12 in Singapore, setting up an historic summit in hopes of getting Kim to give up his nuclear weapons programs.
"The highly anticipated meeting between Kim Jong Un and myself will take place in Singapore on June 12th," Trump tweeted. "We will both try to make it a very special moment for World Peace!"
The tweeted announcement capped weeks of negotiations that began when Trump announced March 8 he had accepted Kim's invitation as delivered by South Korea government officials.
While teasing the announcement in recent days, Trump has said he would continue urging China and other nations to cut off economic aid to North Korea until it agrees to give up its nuclear weapons programs.
"A lot of things can happen," Trump said Wednesday. "A lot of good things can happen. A lot of bad things can happen. I believe that we have both sides want to negotiate a deal."
South Korean officials have also been involved in talks about the meetings.
In preparation for the high-stakes talks with Kim, Trump plans to consult with South Korean President Moon Jae-In when Moon visits the White House on May 22.
Some analysts have questioned Trump's haste in setting up a meeting with Kim, saying the summit alone confers immense prestige on the leader among the North Korean people.
Analysts have also said that, over the years, North Korea has demanded the withdrawal of U.S. troops from South Korea and the eliminating of the nuclear defense umbrella that covers the Korean Peninsula.
A final hurdle toward the scheduling announcement was cleared Wednesday with the announcement of the hostage release.
White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said Trump viewed North Korea's hostage release as "a positive gesture," but added that "total denuclearization will remain the top priority."
In nailing down the date and the time, Trump had discussed meeting with Kim in the demilitarized zone at the North-South Korea border. The president and aides ultimate rejected the idea in favor of a more neutral side, though the final choice is much closer to Kim's home base.
Kim needs to travel a little more than 2,900 miles to get to Singapore, which is more than 9,600 miles from the White House.
