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US Team Goes to Singapore as Planned for Possible Trump-Kim Summit - White House

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The delegation from the US administration will go to Singapore, where President Donald Trump was expected to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, to prepare for the summit in case it does take place, White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said.
Sputnik

"The White House pre-advance team for Singapore will leave as scheduled in order to prepare should the summit take place," White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said.

US President Donald Trump announced on Twitter on May 25 that despite his earlier announcement that his meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un had been canceled, the US was still negotiating with Pyongyang.

The summit, set for June 12, was jeopardized when, on May 11, the US and South Korea started a two-week annual air combat regional exercise, viewed by Pyongyang as a threat to its security. Donald Trump said that he was calling the much-anticipated meeting off, citing "tremendous anger and open hostility."

North, South Korean Leaders Hold Second Meeting in Demilitarized Zone - Reports
According to administration officials, the president was both surprised and angered by North Korea's backing out of its initial assurances, as Pyongyang's top nuclear negotiator said that the country would never "trade away its nuclear weapons capability in exchange for economic aid."

READ MORE: Trump Afraid Meeting N Korea's Kim Will Be 'Political Embarrassment' — Reports

In April, North Korea's Kim Jong-un and South Korea's Moon Jae-in held a historic summit agreeing to take measures to support international efforts aimed at denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and proceed with reunion programs for the countries.

Following the meeting, US President Donald Trump announced that he would hold a summit with the North Korean leader in "the coming weeks."

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