Trump Seeks 4th Kim Summit After Halving South Korea Drills

3 articles · Updated · Vox.com · Aug 19

Trump has told aides to prioritize arranging a new meeting with Kim Jong Un as soon as this fall, reviving a diplomatic track that has stalled since their three first-term summits.
That push came after he ordered joint US-South Korea exercises sharply reduced, saying the drills send a hostile signal to North Korea and waste US money.
Pyongyang has shown little public interest: North Korea’s UN mission reportedly rebuffed attempts to receive a personal Trump letter, and Kim has not publicly answered Trump’s claim of a response.
North Korea now holds about 50 nuclear weapons, has material for 40 more, and is stronger economically and geopolitically through support from Russia and trade with China, leaving Washington with less leverage.
Analysts say any renewed talks are more likely to center on limited arms-control steps or confidence-building than denuclearization, which former negotiators now call effectively off the table.