The United States continues to prepare for the summit between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, the White House has said, amidst uncertainty swirling around the meeting.

Trump and Kim are scheduled to meet in Singapore on June 12.

However, North Korea has threatened to cancel the meeting over a joint US-South Korea military exercise. The US has said it was going ahead with the preparation.

Even, Trump on Tuesday suggested that his historic summit with Kim "may not work out".

"We continue to prepare for the summit, and if they want to meet, we will certainly be ready," White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders told reporters at her daily news conference.

"President Trump rightly stated that if North Korea agrees to denuclearise, that it can be a bright future for them. But we remain clear-eyed in these negotiations, but we continue to prepare, and we'll see what happens," she said.

Responding to questions, Sanders said the President has laid out what he wants to see: a commitment to denuclearisation.

"That has not changed," she asserted.

On Tuesday, Trump met South Korea President Moon Jae-in at the White House in preparation of the summit.

As he welcomed Moon in the Oval Office, Trump told reporters that it will be great if his meeting with Kim occured as scheduled, but if did not, it will take place later.

"We're moving along. We'll see what happens," Trump said in response to a question.

"There's a very substantial chance that it won't work out. That doesn't mean that it won't work out over a period of time, but it may not work out for June 12," Trump said.

"You will know soon," Trump told reporters about the summit.

"If it doesn't happen, maybe it will happen later...You never know about deals...I've made a lot of deals. You never really know," Trump said.

Trump said he believed Kim was "serious" about denuclearization as he aims to push ahead with the Singapore summit.

"I do think he is serious. I think he is absolutely very serious," he said, but declined to say whether he had spoken to Kim.

"They're hardworking, great people," he said of North Koreans.

"He will be extremely happy. He will be very happy" he said of Kim if the deal works out.

Sanders said the president had spent a significant amount of time meeting both in person and having regular phone conversations with other world leaders.

"He has constant and regular meetings with his national security team. This is something they talk about on a daily basis and will continue to in preparation," she said.

Meanwhile, State Department Spokesperson Heather Nauert welcomed the North Korean announcement of plans to dismantle its nuclear test site.

"We saw as reporters went there and covered what the Government of North Korea had said was happening, the dismantling of a nuclear site. We certainly welcome the announcement of plans to dismantle its nuclear test site," Nauert told reporters at her biweekly briefing.

"I would go back to permanent, irreversible closure that can be inspected and fully accounted for. That is a key step in the denuclearisation for North Korea, and we look forward to learning more about the details of that," she said.</s>Washington (CNN) President Donald Trump's spur-of-the-moment decision to agree to a face-to-face meeting with North Korea leader Kim Jong Un represented an unprecedented opportunity, but also a huge risk, most recently highlighted by a case of cold feet on both sides.

Anticipation about the June 12 meeting in Singapore is turning to pessimism, as the complexity of the initiative, the stark divides between Washington and Pyongyang, and inconsistencies in the White House's approach to the meeting all become clear.

First, the Kim government threatened to pull out, blaming the "repugnance" of national security adviser John Bolton and his nuclear disarmament schemes.

Now Trump has switched from dreaming of Nobel prizes to warning that there is a "very substantial chance" that the meeting will not happen next month.

Trump is also speculating that China's President Xi Jinping, who he called a "world class poker player" on Tuesday, may be behind Kim's new hard line.

The atmosphere has soured from the euphoric optimism with which Trump welcomed home three US prisoners from North Korea two weeks ago to doubt and uncertainty.

"If it doesn't happen, maybe it'll happen later. Maybe it'll happen at a different time, but we will see," Trump said, alongside South Korean President Moon Jae-in at the White House on Tuesday.

So what is behind the sudden outburst of pessimism about what would be the most spectacular diplomatic summit in decades?

One explanation is that both the United States and North Korea, as they get past the initial wave of enthusiasm after Trump agreed to meet Kim, are being reminded of just how intricate their differences are.

The idea that Kim would give up a nuclear arsenal his country has spent decades acquiring and that he sees as the guarantor of his dynastic rule always struck many people who have dealt with the North Koreans as farfetched.

The fact that goal seems so distant and could take years of painstaking negotiations to achieve after a Kim-Trump summit may be what is fueling rising skepticism among some White House officials that the summit will take place.

It's conceivable that Kim may be realizing, as North Korea invited journalists to watch the destruction of a nuclear test site Tuesday, exactly what the kind of aggressive verification measures the US is demanding would mean for his country.

"There is a whole lot of sites that are going to have to be shut down (and) inspected. This is going to take months and years," Michael Anton, Trump's former National Security Council spokesman, said on CNN's "Erin Burnett OutFront."

The first sign of trouble came when Kim made an unexpected visit to China earlier this month to meet Xi and said he was aiming for a "phased and synchronous" process that would offer North Korea step-by-step rewards for renouncing its nuclear program.

That is exactly the approach that Trump says failed for previous administrations. This White House is telling the North Koreans they will get a bonanza of US private-sector investment only once the nuclear program is completely dismantled.

Then last week, Bolton went on television to tout his vision for a Libya-style export by North Korea of its nuclear weapons program -- without upfront incentives.

But when Kim hears Libya he thinks of the assassination of its longtime dictator, Moammar Gadhafi, after a NATO-led air operation in 2011 that may not have happened had he not previously given away a nuclear program that was far more rudimentary than North Korea's.

In a bid to keep the summit on track, Trump hurriedly said last week that he was not contemplating using a Libya model for North Korea.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Tuesday that he was pressing ahead with plans for the summit -- and was not looking at any date other than June 12.

"We're driving on. ... I am optimistic, but again this could be something that comes right to the end and doesn't happen," Pompeo said.

The run-in to the summit is also being clouded by uncertainty over the shape of the administration's position. Bolton's comments have, for instance, sparked a backlash in the media and among experts in South Korea.

The confusion is bearing out warnings by former officials that the Trump administration should have gotten its ducks in a row before agreeing to a summit.

"We are bumbling into this summit where there is no agreement even among the members of the US administration about where this is going and what are our goals," Jamie Metzl, who served on President Bill Clinton's National Security Council, told CNN's Jake Tapper on "The Lead."

Tough talk from Trump and other members of the administration on what will happen to Kim if he doesn't toe the US line may also risk alienating the North Koreans.

"This will only end like the Libyan model ended if Kim Jong Un doesn't make a deal," Vice President Mike Pence told Fox News on Monday.

Michael Green, who served as the top White House East Asia hand in the George W. Bush administration, said such rhetoric could play poorly in Pyongyang.

"The rhetoric matters, and we know the North Koreans are very sensitive and very insecure about any narrative about assassination," Green told CNN's Brian Todd.

Some analysts believe that the summit is so politically valuable to Trump that he will do almost anything to keep it on the schedule. Indeed, on Tuesday, he guaranteed Kim's safety if he gives up nuclear arms. The President has described Kim as "open" and "very honorable" in recent weeks, an outburst of flattery apparently designed to bring him to the table.

The President relishes dramatic made-for-television occasions that capture the world's attention. The administration has also argued that his North Korea diplomacy is one reason why he should not be distracted by Robert Mueller's special counsel probe. And Republicans hope to use the summit to shape a "peace and prosperity" campaign in tough midterm elections in November.

By expressing public doubts about the summit actually taking place, Trump could also be following his customary habit of building suspense ahead of a big show.

"Whether the deal gets made or not, who knows. It's a deal. Who knows. You never know about deals. You go into deals that are 100% certain, it doesn't happen. You go into deals that have no chance, and it happens, and sometimes happens easily," Trump told reporters Tuesday.

Alternatively, by playing down expectations that the summit will happen the President could be preparing a face-saving exit for himself -- or indulging in a bit of pre-summit negotiating -- on television where Kim can see exactly what he is saying.

Whatever the motivations of the key players, though, the risks of the diplomatic process crashing to a halt are grave, given that a return to the "fire and fury" rhetoric of last year could take the US and North Korea back to the brink of what would be a disastrous war for everyone.</s>President Trump says it's possible that the upcoming summit with Kim Jong-un could be delayed.

And Mr Trump told reporters that the North Korean leader's recent meeting with his Chinese counterpart might have influenced his attitude to talks with the US.</s>London — Global stocks sank on Wednesday after US President Donald Trump said he was not satisfied with talks aimed at averting a trade war with China.

Equities were also dented by poor eurozone economic data, and as Trump cast doubt on a planned summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

"Trump [is] continuing to drive uncertainty over global trade," said analyst Joshua Mahony at trading firm IG. "European markets are following their Asian counterparts lower, as a pessimistic tone from Trump is compounded by downbeat economic data."

Markets had surged on Monday after US treasury secretary Steven Mnuchin and Chinese vice-premier Liu He said they had agreed to pull back from imposing threatened tariffs on billions of dollars of goods and continue talks on a variety of trade issues.

However, Trump has declared he is "not satisfied" with the status of the talks, fuelling worries that the world’s top two economies could still slug out an economically painful trade war.

Investors sought to dump risky equities as they fretted over the news, while Trump also warned that there was "a very substantial chance it won’t work out" when asked about next month’s landmark talks with Kim. He added the summit could be delayed or even called off if the North did not agree to give up its nuclear weapons.

And while the dollar rallied, the euro, the pound and the embattled Turkish lira all tumbled, with political turbulence in Italy triggering a huge sell-off of assets there, according to Fawad Razaqzada of Forex.com.

According to Charles Schwab analysts: "Italian political uneasiness is also prevailing as the markets grapple with the populist coalition government’s choice for prime minister and potential fiscal implications of its policy proposals." Adding to the nerves, a key survey showed on Wednesday that the pace of growth of eurozone business activity continued to slow in May, as companies became less optimistic about the state of the economy in Europe.

Data monitoring company IHS Markit also flagged strong slowdowns in France and Germany, though employment growth in the 19-country single currency bloc remained robust. The purchasing managers’ index (PMI) by IHS Markit fell to 54.1 in May, which was lower than forecast by analysts. A figure over 50 indicates the economy is expanding.

"A whole raft of eurozone PMI surveys have continued to shed a worrying picture of economic progress within the region," noted analyst Mahony.

Later on, dealers will digest minutes from the US Federal Reserve’s most recent policy meeting for some clarity on plans for raising interest rates this year.</s>The planned summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is one of the most anticipated bilateral engagements of the twenty-first century. But as Richard Haass of the Council on Foreign Relations notes, the optimism, while warranted, should not overshadow the hard work that remains.</s>WASHINGTON — Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Wednesday he was “very hopeful” that the U.S.-North Korean nuclear summit would take place as planned next month, although he laid the meeting’s fate squarely on Kim Jong Un.

The decision about whether the June 12 meeting in Singapore between Kim and President Donald Trump happens is “ultimately up to Chairman Kim,” Pompeo told the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

Lawmakers’ questioning of Pompeo followed Trump’s comment Tuesday that “there’s a very substantial chance” the meeting would not proceed as scheduled.

Pompeo said the North Korean leader “asked for the meeting, the president agreed to meet with him. I’m very hopeful that meeting will take place.”

The former CIA director, who has met twice with Kim since the start of April, told the committee that it’s his hope that when Trump and Kim confer, “we can get the North Koreans to make this strategic shift about how best to serve the country — that the nuclear weapons program isn’t in fact the thing that keeps the regime in power, but the thing that prevents the regime from being in a place it wants to be with economic success.”

Pompeo said he had raised the issue of human rights with Kim “and it will be part of the discussions as we move forward.” Asked by lawmakers whether he had a commitment from Kim to make it the part of a deal, Pompeo said, “We have broad outlines of what it is that each nation is prepared to do.”

The summit would offer a historic chance for peace. But there also is the risk of a diplomatic failure that would allow the North to revive and advance its program.

Trump’s newfound hesitation appears to reflect recent setbacks in efforts to bring about reconciliation between the two Koreas, as well as concern whether the self-proclaimed deal-maker can deliver a nuclear accord with Kim.

“The fate and the future of the Korean Peninsula hinge” on the meeting, South Korea’s president, Moon Jae-in, told Trump in an Oval Office meeting Tuesday.

Trump said Kim had not met unspecified “conditions” for the summit. But Trump also said he believed Kim was “serious” about negotiations. Moon expressed “every confidence” in Trump’s ability to hold the summit and bring about peace.

“I have no doubt that you will be able to … accomplish a historic feat that no one had been able to achieve in the decades past,” Moon said.

Trump said he didn’t want to “totally commit” himself on whether North Korea should denuclearize all at once or in phases. “It would certainly be better if it were all in one,” Trump said, before adding, “You do have some physical reasons that it may not be able to do exactly that.”

Trump suggested the summit could be delayed rather than cancelled: “It may not work out for June 12, but there is a good chance that we’ll have the meeting.”

He did not detail the conditions he had laid out for Kim but said if they aren’t met, “we won’t have the meeting.” His spokeswoman, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, said Trump was referring to a commitment to seriously discuss denuclearization.

Skepticism about the North’s intentions have mounted in recent weeks after Kim’s government pulled out of planned peace talks with the South last week, objecting to long-scheduled joint military exercises between U.S. and South Korean forces. The North also threatened to abandon the planned Trump-Kim meeting over U.S. insistence on rapidly denuclearizing the peninsula, issuing a harshly worded statement that the White House dismissed as a negotiating ploy.

Trump expressed suspicion that the North’s recent aggressive barbs were influenced by Kim’s unannounced trip to China two weeks ago — his second in as many months. Trump said he’d noticed “a little change” in Kim’s attitude after the trip.

The president said he hoped Chinese President Xi Jinping was actually committed to the goal of denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula, calling him a “world-class poker player.” Trump said he was displeased by China’s softening of border enforcement measures against North Korea.

Trump encouraged Kim to focus on the opportunities offered by the meeting and to make a deal to abandon his nuclear program, pledging not only to guarantee Kim’s personal security but also predicting an economic revitalization for the North.

“I will guarantee his safety, yes,” Trump said, noting that promise was conditioned on an agreement to complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearization. Trump said if such an agreement is reached, China, Japan and South Korea would invest large sums to “make North Korea great.”</s>The shocking ruling came after the US president barred several online users for mocking or criticising him. Mr Trump has made his @RealDonaldTrump Twitter account an integral part of his presidency as he has often used it to promote his agenda, attack critics or even announce important policies and events, including the historical meeting between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. But now his use of Twitter may come back to haunt him, as US District Judge Naomi Reice Buchwald in Manhattan ruled that Mr Trump and other government officials’ accounts qualify as public forums. In her 75-page statement, the judge wrote: “The president presents the @realDonaldTrump account as being a presidential account as opposed to a personal account and, more importantly, uses the account to take actions that can be taken only by the president as president.”

Preventing someone from replying to the officials’ tweets by blocking them would mean breaching the First Amendment, which grant freedom of speech. The judge explained: “This case requires us to consider whether a public official may, consistent with the First Amendment, 'block' a person from his Twitter account in response to the political views that person has expressed, and whether the analysis differs because that public official is the President of the United States. “The answer to both questions is no.” The ruling followed the lawsuit filed against the US president in July by the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University, representing seven plaintiffs who have been blocked by the president.

Novelists Stephen King and Anne Rice, comedian Rosie O'Donnell, model Chrissy Teigen and political organised Holly O'Reilly said to be among the people blocked by the president. Ms O’Reilly was blocked last May after posting a GIF of Mr Trump being glared at by the Pope and the caption: “This is pretty much how the whole world sees you.” After being blocked she told Time Magazine that "it's like FDR took my radio away", referring to Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Earlier in the trial, the judge advised Mr Trump to mute his critics, which would give them the possibility to reply to him without him having to read them, or just ignore them.

She also issued a warning to Mr Trump, adding: “Because no government official is above the law and because all government officials are presumed to follow the law once the judiciary has said what the law is, we must assume that the president and digital director Dan Scavino will remedy the blocking we have held to be unconstitutional.” The US Department of Justice, which represented Trump in the case, said: "We respectfully disagree with the court's decision and are considering our next steps." Twitter Inc, which is not a party to the lawsuit, declined to comment on the ruling.</s>Washington: The United States and South Korea are labouring to keep the highly anticipated US summit with North Korea on track, even after US President Donald Trump abruptly said "there's a very substantial chance" it won't happen as scheduled.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in reminded Trump yesterdat of the sky-high stakes, saying, "The fate and the future of the Korean Peninsula hinge" on the meeting.

The June 12 summit, planned for Singapore, offers a historic chance for peace on the peninsula - but also the risk of an epic diplomatic failure that would allow the North to revive and advance its nuclear weapons program.

American officials say preparations are still underway. SU Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said yesterday: "We're driving on."

Trump's newfound hesitation appeared to reflect recent setbacks in efforts to bring about reconciliation between the two Koreas, as well as concern whether the self-proclaimed dealmaker can deliver a nuclear accord with the North's Kim Jong-un.

Seated in the Oval Office with Moon Jae-in, Trump said Kim had not met unspecified "conditions" for the summit. However, the President also said he believed Kim was "serious" about negotiations, and Moon expressed "every confidence" in Trump's ability to hold the summit and bring about peace.</s>WASHINGTON (AP) - The United States and South Korea are laboring to keep the highly anticipated U.S. summit with North Korea on track, even after President Donald Trump abruptly said "there's a very substantial chance" it won't happen as scheduled.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in reminded Trump Tuesday of the sky-high stakes, saying, "The fate and the future of the Korean Peninsula hinge" on the meeting.

The June 12 summit, planned for Singapore, offers a historic chance for peace on the peninsula - but also the risk of an epic diplomatic failure that would allow the North to revive and advance its nuclear weapons program.

U.S. officials say preparations are still underway. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who is appearing Wednesday before the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said, "We're driving on."

Trump's newfound hesitation appeared to reflect recent setbacks in efforts to bring about reconciliation between the two Koreas, as well as concern whether the self-proclaimed dealmaker can deliver a nuclear accord with the North's Kim Jong Un.

Seated in the Oval Office with Moon Jae-in Tuesday, Trump said Kim had not met unspecified "conditions" for the summit. However, the president also said he believed Kim was "serious" about negotiations, and Moon expressed "every confidence" in Trump's ability to hold the summit and bring about peace.

"I have no doubt that you will be able to ... accomplish a historic feat that no one had been able to achieve in the decades past," Moon said.

U.S. officials said preparations for the summit were still underway despite recent pessimism - and privately suggested there would be additional public maneuvering as both sides seek to maximize their leverage. Both parties to the talks are invested in holding the meeting, with Kim seeing an opportunity for international legitimacy and Trump the prospect of securing Korean stability - and perhaps a Nobel Peace Prize.

Trump suggested the summit could be delayed rather than canceled: "It may not work out for June 12, but there is a good chance that we'll have the meeting."

He did not detail the conditions he had laid out for Kim but said if they aren't met, "we won't have the meeting." Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said Trump was referring to a commitment to seriously discuss denuclearization.

Skepticism about the North's intentions have mounted in recent weeks after Kim's government pulled out of planned peace talks with the South last week, objecting to long-scheduled joint military exercises between U.S. and South Korean forces. The North also threatened to abandon the planned Trump-Kim meeting over U.S. insistence on rapidly denuclearizing the peninsula, issuing a harshly worded statement that the White House dismissed as a negotiating ploy.

Trump expressed suspicion that the North's recent aggressive barbs were influenced by Kim's unannounced trip to China two weeks ago - his second in as many months. Trump said he'd noticed "a little change" in Kim's attitude after the trip.

"I don't like that," he said.

The president added that he hoped Chinese President Xi Jinping was actually committed to the goal of denuclearizing the Korean peninsula, calling him a "world-class poker player." Trump said he was displeased by China's softening of border enforcement measures against North Korea.

Trump encouraged Kim to focus on the opportunities offered by the meeting and to make a deal to abandon his nuclear program, pledging not only to guarantee Kim's personal security but also predicting an economic revitalization for the North.

"I will guarantee his safety, yes," Trump said, noting that promise was conditioned on an agreement to complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearization. Trump said if such an agreement is reached, China, Japan and South Korea would invest large sums to "make North Korea great."

Associated Press writer Ken Thomas contributed to this report.</s>Washington: Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Wednesday he's "very hopeful" that a planned US-North Korean summit will proceed but laid the fate of the historic meeting squarely with Kim Jong-un, who won't be reassured by US demands for "rapid denuclearisation."

The decision about whether the June 12 meeting in Singapore between Kim and President Donald Trump happens is "ultimately up to Chairman Kim," Pompeo told the House Foreign Affairs Committee. Lawmakers' questioning of Pompeo followed Trump's comment on Tuesday that "there's a very substantial chance" the meeting would not proceed as scheduled.

Trump told reporters on Wednesday, "whatever it is, we will know next week about Singapore and if we go I think it will be a great thing for North Korea."

Amid the uncertainty, a White House team is headed to Singapore this weekend to work on logistics for the trip. White House spokesman Raj Shah said the effort would be led by Joe Hagin, deputy chief of staff for operations. Shah noted that an advance team goes out ahead of all scheduled presidential teams.

Also, the UN Security Council committee monitoring sanctions against North Korea has cleared the way for all members of Kim's delegation to travel to Singapore for the Trump meeting - even if they are on the UN sanctions blacklist, according to diplomats at the world body who spoke on condition of anonymity because the process was private.
U.S. President Donald Trump states there is a "very substantial chance" that the summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un next month may not occur.