Trump, Kim, and the Vietnam Summit: What Just Happened?

In his State of the Union Address, President Donald Trump promised a “historic push for peace on the Korean Peninsula” when he meets North Korea’s leader, Kim Jong Un, in Hanoi at the end of February. North Korea has demanded the U.S. begin lifting sanctions and pressure, “or else.” U.S. intelligence chiefs testified that North Korea has no intention of abandoning its nuclear weapons. So what will the second U.S.-DPRK summit produce? Nearly eight months after the two leaders agreed to “work towards complete denuclearization,” there is very little progress to show — North Korea continues to expand its nuclear arsenal, and sanctions are still in place.

Join us for a discussion just days after the planned Vietnam Summit, with Asia Society Policy Institute’s Daniel Russel and Carol Giacomo of the New York Times editorial board. Will the world see North Korea begin taking meaningful steps to end its threatening nuclear and missile programs? Or will Kim succeed in gaining some relief from sanctions and cancellation of U.S. military exercises in return for more promises?

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