TOKYO (dpa-AFX) - President Donald Trump has expressed optimism about a planned summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un but indicated Wednesday he is willing to walk out of the meeting if the discussions are not 'fruitful.'
Trump discussed the planned meeting with Kim during a press conference with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who has reportedly expressed concerns about the historic summit.
'Hopefully that meeting will be a success and we are looking forward to it,' Trump said. 'We will be doing everything possible to make it a worldwide success.'
However, the president suggested he could still cancel the planned meeting or leave early if he does not see signs of progress.
'If I think it's a meeting that is not going to be fruitful, we're not going to go,' Trump said. 'If the meeting, when I'm there, is not fruitful, I will respectfully leave the meeting.'
A person familiar with the conversations told CNN that new National Security Adviser John Bolton has been raising the prospects of a walkout in the middle of talks with Kim.
Walking out in the middle of the meeting would provide a 'Trumpian' level of theatricality to an already dramatic event, the person said.
Trump's comments at the press conference came after he confirmed earlier in the day that CIA Director and Secretary of State-designate Mike Pompeo held a secret meeting with Kim last week.
'Mike Pompeo met with Kim Jong Un in North Korea last week. Meeting went very smoothly and a good relationship was formed,' Trump said in a post on Twitter.
He added, 'Details of Summit are being worked out now. Denuclearization will be a great thing for World, but also for North Korea!'
Last month, Trump said he is looking forward to a meeting with Kim but said tough sanctions on North Korea would remain in place.
The news of the planned meeting was first revealed by South Korean National Security Advisor Chung Eui-Yong, who said the two leaders would meet by May.
A meeting between Trump and Kim would be the first between a sitting U.S. president and a North Korean leader.
(Photo: Gage Skidmore)
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