
Kim Jong Un committed on Tuesday to the 'complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula' and Donald Trump promised 'security guarantees' for North Korea, as the two leaders met for the first time during a high-stakes Singapore summit.

The U.S. president hailed a newly forged 'special bond' with Kim following a day of historic talks, praised the dictator as a 'skilled' negotiator and said he would 'absolutely' invite him to the White House in the future.

Kim said it was time to 'leave the past behind' and embark on a new era of relations with America while promising that the world will see a 'major change.'

The two men signed a joint statement at the Capella hotel. The U.S. did not immediately release the wording, but news photographers caught signt of the text when Trump flashed a copy to the press.

The agreement reaffirms an earlier declaration signed between North and South Korea, and commits the North to 'work towards the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.'

President Donald Trump and North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un concluded a day of talks in Singapore by signing what the U.S. president described as a 'very comprehensive' document

AFTER YOU: Donald Trump and North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un arrive to sign a document to acknowledge the progress of the talks and pledge to keep momentum going, after their summit at the Capella Hotel on Sentosa island

President Trump praised Kim as a 'talented' negotiator and said he 'absolutely' plans to invite him to the White House

It is understood that the document signed by both leaders will pledge to keep the momentum of peace talks going

The document says, in part: 'President Trump committed to provide security guarantees to the DPRK, and Chairman Kim Jong Un reaffirmed his firm and unwavering commitment to complete denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula'

Kim Jong-un rests his hand on Trump's back as the pair walk away from the table where they signed the joint agreement

Another point commits the U.S. and North Korea 'to establish new U.S.-DPRK relations in accordance with the desire of the peoples of the two countries for peace and prosperity.'

An additional point committed the nations to 'join their efforts to build a lasting and stable peace regime on the Korean Peninsula.'

The U.S. president also affirmed he would 'absolutely' be willing to host Kim at the White House after today's conversations. telling a room full of journalists representing American and North Korean outlets: 'This is going to lead to more and more and more and it’s an honor to be with you a very great honor.'

'We'll meet again. We'll meet many times,' he stated.

Trump earlier said as the summit commenced that it was 'an honor' to be with Kim and open a direct line of communication that he expects to blossom into 'a terrific relationship' with the longtime U.S. antagonist.

He told journalists later, after a working lunch, that he had a 'really fantastic meeting' with Kim that he believes was 'really, very positive.'

'I think, better than anybody could have expected, top of the line, really good. We're going right now for a signing,' he said.

Talks were apparently going so well Tuesday afternoon that Trump showed Kim his limo, opening a door so he could inspect the car that travels everywhere with the U.S. president and flies in the belly of Air Force One when he's abroad.

Trump and Kim's statement: The full text Joint Statement of President Donald J. Trump of the United States of America and Chairman Kim Jong Un of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea at the Singapore Summit President Donald J. Trump of the United States of America and Chairman Kim Jong Un of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) held a first, historic summit in Singapore on June 12, 2018. President Trump and Chairman Kim Jong Un conducted a comprehensive, in-depth and sincere exchange of opinions on the issues related to the establishment of new US-DPRK relations and the building of a lasting and robust peace regime on the Korean Peninsula. President Trump committed to provide security guarantees to the DPRK, and Chairman Kim Jong Un reaffirmed his firm and unwavering commitment to complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. Convinced that the establishment of new US-DPRK relations will contribute to the peace and prosperity of the Korean Peninsula and of the world, and recognizing that mutual confidence building cam promote the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, President Trump and Chairman Kim Jong Un state the following: The United States and the DPRK commit to establish new US-DPRK relations in accordance with the desire of the peoples of the two countries for peace and prosperity. The United States and DPRK will join their efforts to build a lasting and stable peace regime on the Korean Peninsula. Reaffirming the April 27, 2018 Panmunjom Declaration, the DPRK commits to work toward complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula The United States and the DPRK commit to recovering POW/MIA remains, including the immediate repatriation of those already identified. Having acknowledged that the US-DPRK summit -- the first in history -- was an epochal event of great significance in overcoming decades of tensions and hostilities between the two countries and for the opening up of a new future, President Trump and Chairman Kim Jong Un commit to implement the stipulations in the joint statement fully and expeditiously. The United States and the DPRK commit to hold follow-on negotiations, led by the US Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, and a relevant high-level DPRK official, at the earliest possible date, to implement the outcomes of the US-DPRK summit. President Donald J. Trump of the United States of America and Chairman Kim Jong Un of the State Affairs Commission of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea have committed to cooperate for the development of new US-DPRK relations and for the promotion of peace, prosperity, and the security of the Korean Peninsula and of the world. DONALD J. TRUMP President of the United States of America KIM JONG UN Chairman of the State Affairs Commission of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea June 12, 2018 Sentosa Island Singapore Advertisement

President Donald Trump says 'it's an honor' to be meeting with Kim Jong-un, whom he expects to have 'a terrific relationship' with now that they've been personally introduced

U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un shake hands during an expanded bilateral meeting at the Capella Hotel. With Trump, and to his right, is White House chief of Staff John Kelly

Kim smiles to reporters while taking questions alongside Donald Trump after signing the joint agreement. Both men ignored questions over the denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula

Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un part ways holding copies of the joint agreement they signed moments earlier

U.S. President Donald Trump walks with North Korea leader Kim Jong Un after lunch at the Capella resort on Sentosa Island

After the summit had ended, Trump assessed that Kim had a 'great personality' and is 'very smart. Good combination.'

Kim, Trump said, is 'a worthy negotiator ... a very worthy, very smart negotiator. We had a terrific day and we learned a lot about each other and our countries.'

Trump and Kim began the summit with a hearty handshake, exchanging pleasantries for the cameras and meeting one-on-one for 38 minutes with only translators present while the world watched with anticipation as the first-ever meeting between a U.S. president and a North Korean leader unfolded.

Trump told reporters as he sat down for his initial meeting with Kim that he believed they were 'going to have a great discussion' that he believed would be a 'tremendous success.'

'It will be tremendously successful,' he reiterated. 'And it's an honor, and we will have a terrific relationship, I have no doubt.'

Kim – whose voice is rarely if ever heard in the West – told the U.S. president through an interpreter, 'Well, it was not easy to get here. The past worked as fetters on our limbs, and the old prejudices and practices worked as obstacles on our way forward. But we overcame all of them, and we are here today.'

'That's true,' Trump said in agreement, shaking his counterpart's hand and making what appeared to be joke that was audible to only the two men and their translators as reporters were led out out of the room.

Trump and Kim then held private talks with only their interpreters before walking together along a route that provided them with another opportunity to speak to press.

'Very, very good. Excellent relationship,' Trump told a tightly-restricted group of assembled journalists.

Donald Trump waves to reporters alongside Kim as the pair stand on a balcony at the Capella resort on Tuesday

A man watches a TV screen showing Trump meeting with Kim in Singapore during a news program in Hong Kong on Tuesday. Trump and Kim shared a hearty handshake, exchanged pleasantries for the cameras and met one-on-one for 38 minutes with only translators present while the world watched with anticipation as their summit unfolded

WARM RAPPORT: President Trump touched Kim several times throughout their first exchange, signaling to the dictator he wanted to build a relationship that can stand the test of time and not just today's summit

Neither man smiled during the formal photo, taken on a red carpet in front of alternating American and North Korean flags

As they turned the corner to head into their first set of talks, however, in an area that Trump may have thought was off camera, the U.S. leader broke into a smile as he exchanged quiet words with Kim and another handshake that lasted several seconds

The pen which Kim used to sign the joint declaration, which featured Donald Trump's signature in gold on the side

The leaders ignored questions from the U.S. media on denuclearization of the Koran Peninsula, the topic of the Singapore talks.

Moments later, Trump and Kim rejoined senior officials from both nations for a meeting that was supposed to get into the nitty-gritty of a possible nuclear disarmament deal.

'Of course there will be challenges ahead, but I am ready to listen,' Kim could be heard telling the U.S. president in the group setting, through a translator. 'We overcame all kinds of skepticism and speculations about this summit, and I believe that this is good for the peace.'

Trump told him, 'We will solve [this]. We will be successful. And I look forward to working on it with you. It will be done.'

A working lunch on Tuesday featured prawn cocktail with avocado salad, green mango kerabu with honey lime dressing and fresh octopus and 'Oiseon' Korean stuffed cucumber as starters.

For the main course, the leaders had the choice of beef short rib confit, sweet and sour crispy pork and Yangzhou fried rice with chili sauce or soy braised cod fish.

Haagen-Dazs vanilla ice cream with cherry coulis, Tropezienne and a dark chocolate tartlet ganache were listed on a White House handout as the dessert options.

'Very nice. Get a good picture everybody so we look nice and handsome and thin. Perfect,' Trump jested to journalists as they were briefly allowed to observe the meal.

The almost unbelievable nature of the encounter hasn't been lost on Kim, whose repressive regime has kept the U.S. on edge for decades through bellicose statements, nuclear tests and ballistic missile launches.

'Many people in the world will think of this as a ... form of fantasy … from a science fiction movie,' he told the president through a translator in a remark overheard during a morning session by the press.

A third grip-and-grin followed brief remarks to press inside the portion of their one-on-one meeting that was open to cameras

Kim and Trump are seen walking from their photo-op to a one-on-one meeting with only their translators

A third grip-and-grin followed brief remarks to press inside the portion of their one-on-one meeting that was open to cameras

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who was instrumental in organizing the summit, arrives for the signing ceremony

Kim Jong-un's motorcade departs the Capella hotel following the signing ceremony with Donald Trump

Kim's motorcade leaves Sentosa island, where the summit took place. He was originally due to leave the country at 2pm, but that was subsequently pushed back

In their very first greeting, Trump set the tone for the talks, sending Kim an outstretched hand and patting the dictator's right elbow with the other. Neither man smiled during the formal photo, taken on a red carpet in front of alternating American and North Korean flags.

As they turned the corner to head into their first of several sessions, however, in an area that Trump may have thought was off camera, the U.S. leader broke into a smile while exchanging quiet words with Kim and another handshake that lasted several seconds.A third grip-and-grin followed brief remarks to press inside the portion of their one-on-one meeting that was open to cameras.

For both leaders, everything was on the line on Tuesday in Singapore. Kim has the incentive of sanctions relief. For Trump, an agreement, no matter how weak was better than coming away empty-handed.

Trump had taunted his critics earlier on Tuesday in the hours before his history-making meeting with the North Korean dictator in tweets.

'The fact that I am having a meeting is a major loss for the U.S., say the haters & losers. We have our hostages, testing, research and all missle launches have stoped, and these pundits, who have called me wrong from the beginning, have nothing else they can say! We will be fine!' he tweeted.

Trump began shaping news coverage of his summit with Kim, taking place at 9 am local time and 9 pm in Washington, bright and early at 5:30 a.m.

Trump and Kim met one-on-one with only translators present in the morning before sharing a working lunch with their aides

WHERE'S THE YELLOWCAKE? The menu for the working lunch included six courses

Donald Trump uploaded this image of himself and Kim meeting alongside their delegations to Instagram after the summit

Trump and Jong-un had just finished off a working lunch when the American president appeared to make an unscheduled stop at the huge armored car, known as The Beast

The power move is likely to have impressed Jong-un who, despite his nation's isolation, has a taste for American culture and Western luxury

He said in tweets before the sun rose over Singapore that 'meetings between staffs and representatives are going well and quickly,' echoing a statement from his White House the evening before that talks were progressing so fast Trump would leave Singapore early.

'But in the end, that doesn't matter,' he acknowledged on Twitter. 'We will all know soon whether or not a real deal, unlike those of the past, can happen!'

Trump's motorcades was the first to pull into the Capella Resort in Singapore, which has been closed to outsiders for days out of extreme precaution, on Tuesday morning. Kim was not far behind, after making the under-fifteen minute drive from his hotel to Sentosa island along a route filled with gawkers.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo shared a photo of himself marching through a hallway with a determined look on his face as his opening salvo in a tweet that declared: 'We're ready for today.'

Kim, meanwhile, spent the hours leading up to talks attempting to soften his image. The vicious ruler who has directed the murder of his own family members in a quest to consolidate his already absolute power posed for photos on Monday night as he went on a sightseeing tour with Singapore's foreign minister Vivian Balakrishnan.

His tour included a stop at the Marina Bay Sands hotel and casino, where he was welcomed by a cheering crowd of tourists and local residents who had flocked to the location to take in the spectacle.

Commuters in Pyongyang, North Korea's capital, read about Kim's late-night sightseeing tour around Singapore on Tuesday

North Koreans were among the last to know about the summit, only learning that Kim had traveled to Singapore on Monday

North Korea's state-owned newspaper Rodong Sinmun ran dozens of pictures of Kim's sightseeing tour on its front page

A coffee shop in Pyongyang was serving 'combination hamburgers' on Tuesday in a nod to the new relationship with America

As his trip around the city was taking place, the White House pulled the curtain back on the schedule for today's talks.

A White House statement said the summit would consist of an introductory meeting, group discussion with the two nation's senior officials, working lunch and press avail before Trump departs for Washington.

'The discussions between the United States and North Korea are ongoing and have moved more quickly than expected,' the statement said in an explanation of Trump's newly announced Tuesday evening departure.

The White House said that Trump and Kim will speak with only translators present before a joint meeting with their delegations, as is consistent with the way that conversations with foreign leaders are typically handled. The president usually spends several minutes alone with his counterparts before moving into expanded bilaterals.

Pompeo told journalists during a briefing several hours earlier that Trump is 'going into this meeting with confidence, a positive attitude and an eagerness for real progress' toward North Korean disarmament.

He also said that America is prepared to offer Kim 'unique' security guarantees if the country is willing to give up its nuclear weapons.

Trump and Kim arrived within hours of each other in Singapore on Sunday. The U.S. president who almost never dines outside the White House and does not partake in alcohol hunkered down for most of Monday.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in, who kicked off the peace process at the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics earlier this year, smiles as Kim and Trump meet for the first time

Commuters in Seoul stopped in their tracks to watch the historic meeting on television in one of the capital's subway station

Commuters in Seoul sit transfixed as the leaders of North Korea and the United States meet for the first time in history

South Korea is still technically at war with the North, having only signed an armistice agreement at the end of the Korean War, but that could be about to change

His only trip outside the posh hotel he's residing at was to the presidential palace for a meeting and luncheon with Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. The summit's host nation presented him with a cake to celebrate his Thursday birthday. Trump turns 72 on June 14.

During the rare trip out of his hermetic nation, the 33-year-old Kim also hobnobbed with Singaporean officials. The dictator sat with Loong for formal talks on Sunday and went out on the town with the prime minister's education and finance ministers the following evening.

Trump said Monday that he is preparing for a 'very interesting meeting tomorrow' with Kim in the only remarks he has made to camera since arriving in Singapore on Sunday.

'We've got very interesting meeting in particular tomorrow,' he said, 'and I just think it's going to work out very nicely.'

The visit to see Lee was the only outward facing item on Trump's agenda on the eve of his high-stakes negotiations with Kim.

A meet and greet at Trump's hotel with embassy staff was held behind closed doors, and after lunch the White House said there would be no more appearances on Monday in public for the U.S. president.

Deputy White House Press Secretary Raj Shah told DailyMail.com that Trump, who was not accompanied abroad by the first lady, would spend his evening in briefings with senior staff preparing for the summit with Kim that was due to kick off first thing on Tuesday.

Security around the summit was high as Singaporean navy ships and attack helicopters patrolled around Sentosa island

Singapore said it is paying around $15million in order to host the summit, at least half of which was spent on security

Heavily armed attack boats patrol around Sentosa where Kim and Trump met in the first summit of its kind on Tuesday

Heavily armed policemen guard the Capella hotel where Trump and Kim spent the morning engaged in historic talks

Pompeo told reporters on Monday evening in remarks underscoring a Saturday declaration by the president that 'this is truly a mission of peace' and said he is 'hopeful that the summit will set the conditions for future productive talks.'

He also swatted down a New York Times report that claimed the U.S. lacked the technical expertise to have a conversation about the dismantling of North Korea's nuclear weapons program in real time.

Pompeo said that the president's senior-most expert in weapons of mass destruction is on the ground in Singapore and that officials with PhDs in every relevant area are waiting on standby in Washington.

'The ultimate objective we seek from the diplomacy with North Korea has not changed. The complete, verifiable, and irreversible denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula is the only outcome that the United States will accept,' he asserted at a televised briefing.

Until that time, he said 'sanctions will remain' in place and 'those measures will increase' if talks with North Korea stall.

If Kim plays ball, Pompeo said Trump is prepared to ensure that a WMD-less North Korea is secure.

'We're prepared to take security assurances that are different, unique, than have been provided, that America's been willing to provide previously. We think this is both necessary and appropriate,' he asserted.

Pompeo refused to say what those security assurances were. 'There's gonna be a lot of work left to do there's a lot of detail that's gotta be provided, we are not going to conduct these negotiations in the open with media,' he stated. 'We're gonna conduct them between the two parties so that we have an opportunity to have a real success here.'

North Korean vice-foreign minister Choe Son Hui and a delegation of North Korean officials met with U.S. officials, including United States Ambassador to the Philippines Sung Kim, at the Ritz-Carlton hotel in Singapore to negotiate the final details of the summit on Monday.

Pompeo said in a Monday afternoon update, 'We have had substantive and detailed meetings to date, including this morning with the North Koreans.

Kim, meanwhile, spent the hours leading up to talks attempting to soften his image. He's seen here taking a selfie in from The Fullerton hotel in Singapore

Singapore's Finance Minister Vivian Balakrishnan takes a selfie with Kim and and Singapore's Education Minister Ong Ye Kung

The leaders are meeting at Capella Resort on Sentosa, which is south of central Singapore and an under 15-minute drive from their respective hotels

KIM ON THE MOVE: The North Korea dictator left after Trump for Sentosa island, traveling a similar route

The U.S. president arrived in Singapore on Sunday evening local time for talks could change the course of history and earn him the Nobel Peace Prize, if successful in convincing the world's most isolated nation to end its pursuit of mankind's most deadly weapons.

After a grueling 21 hours of travel that included a refueling stop on a Greek island, Trump touched down at Paya Labar Air Base in Singapore. He told journalists nearby he was feeling 'very good' about his meeting on Tuesday with Kim and then sped off in his motorcade to conclude his first evening in the country in privacy of his room at the Shangri-La, the luxury hotel housing the U.S. delegation.

He followed in the footsteps of Kim on Monday by meeting with Lee after the North Korean leader met with the head of the summit's host nation after his own arrival on Sunday afternoon via an Air China flight.

Kim is staying at the St. Regis hotel, near Trump. The foreign leaders are holding their summit at a third location, the Capella Resort, ensconced on 30 acres of land south of the city on Sentosa Island.

Their face-to-face discussion is a first between a U.S. president and North Korean autocrat since Kim's grandfather, Kim Il-sung, assumed power in 1948.

President Trump has boldly predicted that the summit with Kim Jong-un will be a 'great success' and have a positive outcome not just for the two parties but for the world at large.

The U.S. president said Monday that 'excitement in the air' in Singapore, the high-class city that doubles as a nation and is generously footing bill for his $20 million Kim summit.

Donald Trump is seen blowing out a candle on a birthday cake Monday that he had been presented with by Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong

President Trump holds up a menu from the working luncheon that accompanied bilateral talks

Trump is being accompanied to the summit by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo (pictured to his left) who has said America is prepared to offer North Korea 'unique' security guarantees if the country agrees to give up its nukes

A first-term president with no prior political experience who has a flare for the dramatics, Trump's skeptics say this week's summit with Kim will serve as little more than a misguided photo-op.

His admission in the lead up to the trip that he'd done little to get ready for the face-to-face with the 33-year-old dictator and was relying on his 'attitude' and 'willingness' to strike an accord did little to lessen anxiety at home that Trump would make a catastrophic mistake.

Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer on Thursday chided that 'the situation is far too dangerous for seat of the pants negotiating' after warning Trump earlier in the week against entering an agreement with Kim 'just for the sake of reaching a deal.'

The sniping from the sidelines prompted Trump to charge that Schumer and his party 'did NOTHING about North Korea' and is now 'telling me what to do at the Summit the Dems could never set up.'

'Schumer failed with North Korea and Iran,' he tweeted, 'we don't need his advice!'

The 71-year-old billionaire whose birthday is Thursday reassured naysayers Friday that he has 'been preparing all my life' for the showdown with Kim and said Saturday at a media availability that 'within the first minute' he expects to know if his negotiation partner is serious about denuclearization.

'I think I'll know pretty quickly whether or not, in my opinion, something positive will happen,' Trump said at an impromptu news conference after the G7 summit. 'And if I think it won't happen, I'm not going to waste my time. I don't want to waste his time.'

Trump has repeatedly said he will get up and leave the meeting that he now claims will be only a first step in the direction of North Korean denuclearization if talks are not productive.

'I think it's a 'getting to know you' meeting, plus,' he said last week, setting expectations, after a visit from Kim's lead negotiator. 'And that can be a very positive thing,' he added.

A first-term president with no prior political experience who has a flare for the dramatics, Trump's skeptics say this week's summit with Kim will serve as little more than a misguided photo-op

Following a short conversation with Singapore government officials sent to greet him, the U.S. president then sped off in his motorcade to conclude his first evening in Singapore in the privacy of his room at the luxury hotel housing the U.S. delegation.

Kim and Trump are not in the same hotel. the North Korean dicator is staying at the nearby St. Regis hotel in Singapore during the summit

Police inspect vehicles at a checkpoint at the back of the St Regis Hotel on Sunday

Members of the North Korean delegation are seen in Singapore on Sunday

Security was heightened outside of the hotels the two men are staying at, as well as the site of the summit on Sunday

Trump's determination that he would not be able to persuade Kim in one sitting to drop his country's decades-old pursuit of a nuclear warhead with the power to destroy cities inside the United States provided for an easy-to-meet goal for his administration – just showing up to the meeting he called off once already.

'I did it once before,' he pointed out Friday at a Rose Garden news conference. 'You have to be able to walk away.'

For Kim to get a sustained audience with the president or a visit later in the negotiations to the White House, the Trump administration says North Korea will have to do more than exchange niceities.

A detailed task list and timetable for disarmament, however, has not been communicated by the U.S. government.

'I think it's a process. I've told you that many times before. I think it's not a one meeting deal,' Trump told reporters Thursday. 'It will be wonderful if it were.'

The U.S. president and former reality TV star insisted that the meeting will be 'at a minimum' the beginning of 'a good relationship' between himself and Kim.

'And that's something that's very important toward the ultimate making of a deal. I'd love to say it could happen in one deal, and maybe it can,' he said. 'They have to denuke. If they don't denuclearize, that will not be acceptable. We cannot take sanctions off; the sanctions are extraordinarily powerful.'

Trump's administration has been unwavering in its demand that North Korea must completely and verifiably end its nuclear weapons program to earn sanctions relief.

The Trump administration and North Korea have wildly different interpretations, though, of what it means to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula.

For North Korea, the Heritage Foundation's Bruce Klingner explains, denuclearization includes 'anything that impacts or influences' the land mass, including nuclear-capable submarines and aircraft in Guam.

'So if the president is going in and not realizing how North Korea defines things, and that if you don't have clearly delineated text,' he said, 'then you might agree to something verbally or on paper, where North Korea has a far different interpretation of it than the US. has.'

Singaporean gather in front of the Istana Presidential Palace, where North Korean Leader Kim Jong-un and Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong were about to meet in Singapore

Kim meets with Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong at the Istana on Sunday

The two letters met for private talks prior to Trump's arrival; the U.S. president will take his turn with the PM on Monday

Pompeo has twice met with Kim since early April to lay the groundwork for this week's talks. He said Thursday that the U.S. had narrowed the gap between its vision of denuclearization and the one that's being used by North Korea during recent sessions, yet declined to say exactly where that leaves the two parties.

'What I have said publicly is he has indicated to me, personally, that he is prepared to denuclearize; that he understands that the current model doesn't work, that he's prepared to denuclearize,' Pompeo told journalists from the White House's podium.

Alluding to a failed deal with North Korea that former President Bill Clinton's administration brokered and one with Iran that Barack Obama's government signed and Trump last month withdrew from, Pompeo said Kim 'understands that we can't do it the way we've done it before' and that denuclearization cannot be a years-long process.

He allowed that 'this doesn't happen instantaneously' and will take time.

'But that the model for succeeding — security assurance; and political normalization; and denuclearization completely, verifiably, and irreversibly — for that to take place, we've got to make bold decisions,' he stated.

Trump has targeted North Korea with what his administration calls a 'maximum pressure' campaign meant to starve Kim of the resources and funding he needs to fully realize his country's long-held nuclear ambitions that he has pledged to keep in place into the brutal leader who ascended the throne in 2011 breaks.

The international sanctions levied by the United Nations, and layered on by the U.S., have mostly cut North Korea off from crude oil and outside transactions of any type.

'I could add a lot more, but I don't — I've chosen not to do that at this time,' Trump said Thursday in an admission that the U.S. is not using 'maximum pressure' to break North Korea. 'But that may happen,' he said during remarks in the Oval Office with visiting leader Shinzo Abe.

He said later, at a joint news conference with the Japanese prime minister, that use of the term 'maximum pressure' at all following his conversation with Kim should serve as a red flag to those reading the tea leaves about the outcome of the tete-a-tete.

'We don't use the term anymore because we're going into a friendly negotiation. Perhaps after that negotiation I will be using it again,' he stated. 'You'll know how well we do in the negotiation. If you hear me saying we're going to use 'maximum pressure,' you'll know the negotiation did not do well, frankly. There's no reason to say it.'

The jet carrying Kim landed at Singapore's Changi airport on Sunday afternoon amid huge security precautions on the city-state island

In this Saturday, June 9, 2018, photo, a surveillance camera is seen at the entrance to the driveway of Capella Hotel in Sentosa, Singapore. A new surveillance camera is installed and restaurants closed on Singapore's Sentosa Island, a popular tropical getaway now easing into the political spotlight ahead of Tuesday's summit

The historic summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un will be held at the Capella Hotel on Singapore's Sentosa Island

It was restored as a five-star hotel in 2009 by British architect Norman Foster and still retains many of its colonial features

North Korea, for its part, was listening out for another term in the United States' rhetoric that it deemed too aggressive – the 'Libya model' for denuclearization. Kim's regime beat up both the president's national security adviser, John Bolton, and his vice president, Mike Pence, for using phrase that has historically negative connotations.

Libya's Muammar Gadhafi was ousted and executed following a voluntary abandonment of nuclear weapons that he thought would be accompanied by assistance and protection from the United States.

Gadhafi did not have a formal agreement with the U.S. like the one that Trump is pledging to strike with North Korea. Nor did he receive the type of assurances that he'd be propped up as Trump has done for Kim.

Trump says the U.S. will make sure that Kim remains in power if he denuclearizes. He has also floated economic prosperity, in the form of new investment from American companies, as a motivator for Kim to decide he's worthy of doing business with.

For Kim to take the enormous risk of ending the nuclear weapons program that made him a household name around the world to begin with, North Korea has said it will need hefty security assurances that it has not entirely outlined publicly.

Former CIA Director James Clapper says Trump should agree to a diplomatic presence in Pyongyang. The ex-spy chief says that Trump should recognize that Kim's regime is likely to ask for a commitment from the United States to pull back on its military presence on the peninsula.

'We should be mindful that that could easily be a two-way street in that the North Koreans could easily demand that we denuclearize, meaning no more B-1's, B-2's or B-52's on the Peninsula, or within operational proximity of the Peninsula,' Clapper said last week in an interview with radio host Hugh Hewitt. 'And I hope we're ready to deal with that. They are paranoid about our bombers.'

Where will the summit be held? The macabre history of Sentosa Island where Trump and Kim will meet Restaurants have been closed and a new surveillance camera was installed on Singapore's Sentosa Island - a popular tropical getaway that has been thrust into the spotlight ahead of a summit between Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un. The resort island plans to keep welcoming tourists this week despite boosted security for the summit at the 112-room Capella Singapore hotel. A group of journalists gathered outside the hotel and across the road, waiting for signs that officials had arrived. But only authorized vehicles were allowed to enter, and hotel restaurants were not taking reservations until after the summit. Police have marked the island and some of its surrounding waters as a 'special event area,' where loud-hailers, flags or banners over a metre-long or wide are banned. Part of the facade of the five-star Capella Hotel (pictured centre) is seen on Sentosa Island in Singapore, where Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un will meet Located a quarter mile off the coast of Singapore, Sentosa is no stranger to celebrities and VIPs. It is linked to the city by a bridge and home to high-end resorts, golf courses and a large amusement park. But the macabre history of the island, which will become the venue of the historic summit on Tuesday, is less known. In the 18th century, when Singapore was a British colony, an unknown epidemic killed off most of its population of 60. Only two households survived. During World War II, the British used artillery forts and a battery on the island to unsuccessfully fend off a Japanese invasion, which transformed it into a prisoner-of-war camp. It's no wonder the island was known as Pulau Blakang Mati, which roughly translates as 'island of death from behind.' In 1970, the island was renamed after a nationwide contest. Sentosa was subsequently developed as a resort and expanded on reclaimed land. Technicians install a surveillance camera at the entrance of the five-star Capella Hotel on Sentosa island on Saturday Nevertheless, Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore's prime minister from 1959 to 1990, used the island to hold long-term political prisoners who were often detained without trial. Chia Thye Poh, a former member of parliament, spent 23 years in jail and under loose house arrest there. He worked as a freelance translator for the island's management, before he was allowed to visit the mainland for a short time every day and set free. But these days, Sentosa is a popular resort island, with numerous beaches, hotels and restaurants, and attracts around 19 million visitors every year. Advertisement

Trump said Thursday when it's all said and done he expects the normalization of relations between the U.S. and North Korea. He floated a peace agreement as a potential show of good faith.

'We're looking at it. We're talking about it with them. We're talking about it with a lot of other people. But that could happen,' he said at his news conference on Thursday. 'Sounds a little bit strange, but that's probably the easy part; the hard part remains after that.'

Klingner, an ex-CIA operative who is now a senior fellow at the conservative Heritage Foundation, cautioned Trump against being too ready to sign an agreement, even one as benign on the surface as declaring peace, however.

'Even if just a political declaration is made, that could have an impact on alliance deterrence capabilities, which would be dangerous if we don't first address the North Koran threat,' he told DailyMail.

He said any deal that Trump signs must include 'a clear commitment to denculearization' based on the United Nations' standards, not North Korea's, and it must include 'sufficient verification' that Kim has given up all of his nuclear weapons and production facilities.

Beatrice Finh, the executive director of The International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN), similarly said that a deal must include a timeline for disarmament and a requirement that competent international authorities carry out routine compliance checks.

Finh said mandatory adoption of the Comprehensive Test-Ban Treaty by both North Korea and the United States, which is a signatory to the UN-treaty but hasn't ratified it, should also be part of any accord that comes about.

'We need to see the international legal framework involved in this deal, not just whatever these two men like that come up with,' she stressed.

In 2017, Finh accepted a Nobel Peace Prize on behalf of ICAN for the organization's work to implement the test ban treaty.

She assessed ahead of Trump's meeting with Kim, 'There are no quick fixes to this. This is going to be a long process.

'Going to war is not an option, so we need to work together,' she said, ' and that's also why it important to bring in the international community and the legal framework that exists to build a kind of consistent stable ground for disarming nuclear weapons.'

The potential for a 'bad deal' that leaves America's allies in the region at risk was an issue uniting the left and the right heading into the summit.

Schumer led a group of seven Senate Democrats in sending a letter to Trump last week stipulating what it would take for him to receive support for a deal in the split party Senate.

They want a permanent ban on nuclear weapons, as well as language barring North Korean from further developing ballistic missiles.

'If President Trump meets with Kim Jong-un and receives a deal that truly lives up to these principles, he will have made the world a much safer place,' Schumer said during a call with reporters. 'But if he tries to reach a deal with Kim Jong-un, just for the sake of reaching a deal, and the agreement fails to live up to the principles we've laid out, then he'll have been bested at the negotiating table yet again.'

Lap of luxury: The five-star hotels where Trump and Kim will sleep before their summit President Donald Trump and North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un are now just 1km away from each other as they prepare to meet for the first time tomorrow. Both leaders will spend the night at separate five-star hotels in Singapore, before making their way to a third resort in the morning for their summit. The hotels where they are staying are: Shangri-La Singapore Donald Trump will be based at this hotel from Monday until around 8pm Tuesday, when he flies home to the US. He was scheduled to stay until Wednesday morning, but changed his plans after arriving. The hotel was first opened in 1971, is the flagship of the Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts group, and is consistently voted as among the best in the world. It contains 747 guestrooms housed in three wings with a luxurious suite located at the top of each wing. The Shangri-La Singapore is consistently voted one of the best hotels in the world and features 747 guest rooms over three wings The hotel includes a swimming pool, gym and spa complex where treatments such as deep tissue massage are offered An average room goes for around $400 per night, though that rises to more than $11,000 per night for the grandest suite, in the Valley Wing. The suite features a 24-hour butler service, two bedrooms complete with marble-lined en-suite bathrooms, a marble hot tub, a kitchette with dining area and panoramic views. The hotel itself has five restaurants serving a mixture of cuisines ranging from fine Italian to traditional Chinese. There is also a swimming pool, floodlit tennis courts, a full gym and spa offering treatments such as deep tissue massage and 'wellness journeys.' The Shangri-La is no stranger when it comes to hosting foreign dignitaries, with Chinese leader Xi Jinping staying there in 2015 when he met with then-Taiwanese leader Ma Ying-jeou. There are five restaurants in the hotel serving everything from fine Italian food to traditional Chinese dishes, though it is not clear if Trump's favourite hamburgers are on the menu Rooms at the Shangri-La start at $400 per night but go up to more than $11,000 per night for the Valley Wing suite, which is almost certainly where Trump will stay (pictured, one of the dining areas) Trump is expected to stay at the Shangri-La from Monday until Wednesday morning, when he will leave Singapore St Regis Singapore Kim Jong-un will be based at this hotel overnight on Monday, and is currently scheduled to leave at 2pm on Tuesday following the summit with Trump. Rooms start at around $300 per night, though the Presidential Suite - where Kim will almost certainly be staying - costs almost $7,000 per night. The suite features a grand foyer illuminated by Czech crystal chandeliers, gold gilding on the walls and is decorated with works by renowned artists such as Marc Chagall and Mark Tobey. Kim Jong-un will be staying at the St Regis Singapore, located less than a kilometer away from Trump's hotel, it is adorned with works by famous artists and has six drinking and dining areas The Presidential Suite, which is likely where Kim is staying, features a marble-coated en-suite bathroom with its own Jacuzzi, dining room with space for 12, private balcony, and costs almost $7,000 per night The bedroom is attached to a marble-lined en-suite bathroom which has its own Jacuzzi and a shower with a marble-lined steam chamber. It also has its own dining room with seating for up to 12, a private chef to cook dinner for your guests, and 24-hour butler service. The hotel has a total of six eating and drinking venues, with Italian, French and Cantonese cuisine being offered. Kim will not be paying for the trip, however, and Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said Friday that his country will pick up the tab. Mr Lee said he expects to pay around $15million for Kim's trip, with around half the money going on security. Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan said the money will be 'our contribution to world peace.' Kim will not be footing the bill for his hotel, with Singapore shelling out almost $15million to cover the cost of the North Korean leader's entire trip, more than half of which will be spent on security Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un will be sleeping within 1km of each other as they stay at separate five-star hotels in Singapore Advertisement

While Trump has not explicitly said that a deal with North Korea would have to include the demands made by Senate Democrats, he lodged a nearly identical list of complaints against the Iran nuclear deal that was brokered by the previous administration.

Trump has since ended U.S. involvement in the nuclear accord on the grounds that it had a 10-year sunset clause for some operations and did not punish Tehran for the development of ballistic missiles.

He did not comment on the issue of ballistic missiles on Thursday in the Rose Garden as a dispute over short- and long-range missiles came up several times during a joint news conference with Japan's Abe.

Instead, it was the Japanese prime minister who said, 'On this point, between Japan and U.S. and international community share the same view. I am convinced about it.'

As a neighbor to North Korea, Japan is asserting that a deal must ban all ranges of ballistic missiles and weapons of mass destruction and not just the ones with the ability to cross the Pacific to hit targets in the continental U.S.

Trump said Thursday that he was taking into consideration the concerns of all the major players in the region as he sits down with Kim to make a deal – such as South Korea's Moon Jae-in and China's Xi Jingping.

'President Xi of China has been terrific. The border has been certainly more closed than ever before. I'd like them to close it a little bit more, but it's been more closed than ever before,' Trump said of the leader who has become an unlikely friend of his. 'I give President Xi tremendous credit, and I give President Moon tremendous credit. He really would like to see something happen.'

He added, 'They've been living with the threat of war from their beginning, and it doesn't make sense. And I really believe that Kim Jong-un wants to do something. I think he wants to see something incredible happen for the people of North Korea.'

The pressure is on for Trump to come out of the summit with something tangible, even if his administration says that's not the point of the two-party talks - especially in the context of Trump's recent decision to withdraw the U.S. from the nuclear accord it entered into in 2015 with Iran, says Joel Rubin, a former deputy assistant secretary of state for legislative affairs who is an adjunct faculty member at Carnegie Mellon.

'He can't come back from [talks with] North Korea with an agreement that's three pages after having just ripped up a several hundred page detailed document with Iran and have it pass the laugh test,' Rubin told DailyMail.com.

The Iran deal, he noted, was the product of years of negotiations.

'So for the president to go to a summit first, is not how it's typically done. It's usually done after most of these issues have been hammered out and there's clarity on the objectives,' he said. 'They want to do it differently, so, OK, good, let them him do it differently, and I think there's value in having him engage.

'But he needs to stay engaged and he needs to find what they want in order for it to really be an effective negotiation,' Rubin said.