Trump to Meet Kim at 9am Singapore Time on 12 June, White House Says

The Guardian - Donald Trump and the North Korean leader Kim Jong-un are tentatively scheduled to meet at 9am Singapore time on 12 June, according to White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders, who said that planning for the historic summit continues.

"We are actively preparing for the 12 June summit between the president and the North Korean leader," Sanders said on Monday. "We feel like things are continuing to move forward, and good progress has been made."

Sanders said that the White House "advance team" - which features military, security, technical and medical staff - were already on the ground in Singapore.

They are "finalizing preparations and will remain in place until the summit begins," said Sanders.

The announcement of the timing for the first meeting between the two leaders came just three days after Trump hosted a senior North Korean delegation at the White House bearing a letter from Kim. Trump, who had previously canceled the summit, abruptly announced the meeting was back on.

Asked about the contents of Kim's letter, White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders declined to "get into the specifics of the letter" but added "we feel like things are continuing to move forward and good progress has been made."

She added that Trump is getting daily briefings on North Korea in the runup to the landmark meeting.

"I can tell you the president has been receiving daily briefings on North Korea from his national security team," said Sanders.

Experts have voiced concern that despite Trump's claim to be the world's greatest dealmaker, he knows little about North Korea, arms control or international diplomacy.

The on-again-off-again summit is expected to focus on US efforts to get North Korea to abandon its...