US looks forward to Donald Trump-Kim Jong-un meet, says 'maximum pressure campaign' paid dividends with North Korea

Washington: The United States is looking forward to a potential meeting between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, the White House has said. Earlier this month, a South Korean delegation, led by its national security adviser, had conveyed Kim’s invitation to Trump for a meeting. The invitation was accepted by Trump, taking the world by surprise. The North Korean leader reportedly expressed a commitment to denuclearisation. Trump had said that Kim had also promised not to conduct missile tests till the meeting. [caption id=“attachment_4369407” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image of President Donald Trump. AP[/caption] “We’re looking forward to a potential summit some months in advance,” White House principal deputy press secretary Raj Shah told reporters at a news conference on Sunday. Asked about the reports suggesting that Kim Jong-un was in China, Shah refused to confirm their veracity. “We can’t confirm those reports. We don’t know if they’re necessarily true,” he said. “Where we are with North Korea is in a better place than we used to be because the president’s maximum pressure campaign, in conjunction with dozens of countries around the world, has paid dividends and has brought the North Koreans to the table,” Shah said.