With Snap ‘Yes’ in Oval Office, Trump Gambles on North Korea
Peter Baker and Choe Sang-Hun | New York Times
Summoned to the Oval Office on the spur of the moment, the South Korean envoy found himself face to face with President Trump one afternoon last week at what he thought might be a hinge moment in history. Chung Eui-yong had come to the White House bearing an invitation. But he opened with flattery, which diplomats have discovered is a key to approaching the volatile American leader. “We could come this far thanks to a great degree to President Trump,” Mr. Chung said. “We highly appreciate this fact.”
N.K. Apparently Cautious in Reporting Planned Summits With S. Korea, U.S.: Seoul
Yonhap News
North Korea appears to need more time and remain prudent in reporting its planned summits with South Korea and the United States, as there has been no official media coverage by the North, a Seoul official said Monday. North Korea has not shown any official response to its agreement to hold a summit with Seoul in late May and a rare meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump by May.
Japan’s Abe, Used to Being Trump’s Buddy, Finds Himself Out of Step on North Korea
Anna Fifield | Washington Post
Japan’s hard-line prime minister, Shinzo Abe, had grown accustomed to being President Trump’s favorite foreign leader. But now he is suddenly scrambling to remain relevant as the U.S. president embarks on a daring diplomatic gambit with North Korea. When North Korea undertook a charm offensive linked to the Winter Olympics a month ago, Japan’s prime minister warned anyone who would listen not to fall for Kim Jong Un’s “smile diplomacy” and to keep up the “maximum pressure” campaign.
What Does Trump Mean When Alluding to a North Korean 'Missile Test' Freeze?
Ankit Panda | Diplomat
U.S. President Donald Trump is presumably hurtling toward a historic summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. Since he was visited last week by two of South Korean President Moon Jae-in’s envoys, Trump appears to be under the impression that Kim has credibly made a promise to put denuclearization on the table during the summit — if it happens — and to refrain from any nuclear and missile testing during the preparation for the summit. On Saturday, Trump took to Twitter to underline that “North Korea has not conducted a Missile Test since November 28, 2017 and has promised not to do so through our meetings.” He added that he believes “they will honor that commitment!” Trump is correct that North Korea hasn’t flight-tested any missiles since the November 2017 test of the Hwasong-15 intercontinental-range ballistic missile, the first North Korean missile that would be capable of comfortably ranging the entire continental United States if flown on a normal trajectory.
The Trump-Kim Summit Won’t End Well
Jeffrey Lewis | Foreign Policy
Although President Trump seems to be under the impression that the meeting would be to discuss the elimination of North Korea’s nuclear weapons, the North Koreans haven’t said anything remotely like that. In fact, all we have from the North Koreans is the secondhand account of a South Korean diplomat of his boozy dinner with Kim Jong Un and an email sent by the North Korean ambassador to the United Nations to Anna Fifield at the Washington Post.
Scoop: Trump Told Netanyahu U.S. Will Pull Out of Iran Deal if Big Changes Not Made
Axios
The Israeli officials who were briefed on the Trump-Netanyahu meeting spoke on the condition of anonymity due to the diplomatic sensitivity of the matter. The White House and Netanyahu's office didn't deny the details in this report and refused to comment on it. Trump has set May 12th as the deadline to reach an agreement with France, Germany and the U.K. to "fix" the nuclear deal and avoid U.S. withdrawal. In the last 2 months, two rounds of talks were held in London and Paris between senior diplomats from the four countries. A third round is expected this Thursday in Berlin. Israel is not a party to the talks directly but is updated on their contents.