Donald Trump to hold second summit with Kim Jong Un in February to continue denuclearisation discussion

Donald Trump will hold a second summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in late February having held a meeting with the country’s top nuclear negotiator on Friday.

The US president met with Kim Yong Chol, a hardline former spy chief, to continue the denuclearisation effort that had stalled since the first meeting between Trump and Kim Jong Un last June.

“President Donald J. Trump met with Kim Yong Chol for an hour and a half to discuss denuclearization and a second summit, which will take place near the end of February,” White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said.

Sanders added that the location of the summit would be announced at a later date.

The White House also confirmed that sanctions on Pyongyang will be maintained for the time being, despite Friday’s meeting being labelled as productive.

The summit will take place even though there has been no sign that either side is closer to an agreement, with the US demanding North Korea abandon its nuclear programme, and Pyongyang’s demands for the punishing sanctions to be dropped.

A spokesman for South Korea’s presidential office said the second meeting between the US and North Korea could be a “turning point to lay the firm foundation for lasting peace on the Korean peninsula.”

South Korea also committed to work the US and other countries to “achieve concrete and practical results towards complete denuclearization and a lasting peace regime through the North Korea-U.S. summit.”