Planned summit with North Korean leader may not take place next month as planned - Trump

US President Donald Trump has cast doubt over his scheduled summit with North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un saying the meeting may not take place next month as planned, despite his belief the North Korean leader is “serious” about denuclearisation. 

It may not work out for June 12, Trump said, being characteristically coy about the prospects for the historic meeting in Singapore.

In what was anticipated as a high stakes and potentially testy meeting that could decide whether Trump’s much-vaunted summit with Kim went ahead at all, the US president welcomed South Korea’s president to the White House overnight.

If it does not happen, maybe it will happen later, Trump said, as he began talks with South Korean President Moon Jae-in.

But Trump added that he did believe the North Korean leader was willing to give up nukes, amid fears about apparent North Korean backpedaling.

I do think he is serious. I think he is absolutely very serious, Trump said, again raising the prospect of a windfall for Kim if he mothballed weapons programs.

He will be extremely happy, Trump said of Kim, if the deal worked out. He will be very happy.

Trump had agreed to meet inscrutable “Supreme Leader” Kim in Singapore on June 12, but doubt was cast as both sides expressed reservations.