Donald Trump's Singapore meeting with Kim Jong Un is shrouded in mystery

David Jackson | USA TODAY

Show Caption Hide Caption Trump: Summit with North Korea in Singapore back on President Donald Trump announced Friday that his historic summit with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un is now back on for June 12 in Singapore. Trump made the announcement after an hour-long meeting with a top North Korean official. (June 1)

WASHINGTON – A president who prides himself on being unpredictable is scrambling his way toward one of the hardest-to-figure events in diplomatic history.

Less than a week before President Trump is scheduled to sit down with Kim Jong Un, it's difficult to tell what to expect from the first meeting between the president of the United States and the leader of North Korea.

"It looks like it's coming along fine," Trump said this week. "We'll see what happens — but very important. ... It will be a very important couple of days."

The stakes could not be higher: the fate of nuclear weapons that North Korea threatened to use against the United States and that the United States pledged to destroy if necessary.

Among the many unknowns surrounding the summit:

The definition of denuclearization

Trump and aides want the “complete, verifiable and irreversible" elimination of North Korea's nuclear weapons programs, but they haven't rolled out a plan by which that complex task might be accomplished.

Kim and the North Koreans have not disclosed their definition of denuclearization. They have called on the United States to pull back its nuclear defense "umbrella" over the region and remove troops from South Korea, developments that would be of concern to American allies in Asia.

North Korea's demands

North Korea wants the United States and other countries to end or reduce economic sanctions that have crippled its economy. Kim and his government have not spelled out what they will demand of Trump in Singapore in exchange for a denuclearization plan.

Kim has spoken with leaders from China and Russia, countries that suggested easing sanctions. Little is known about those meetings.

More: Here's Kim Jong Un's wish list for the Singapore summit with President Trump

Trump, who has spent the better part of a year urging countries to cut off economic assistance to North Korea, raised questions about his commitment to "maximum pressure" moving forward.

"It's going to remain what it is now," Trump said, but "I don't even want to use the term 'maximum pressure' anymore … because we're getting along."

More: Donald Trump, North Korea's Kim Jong Un will probably save the details for after the summit

More: Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un: Still fighting the Korean War

How many meetings?

Trump raised the possibility of multiple meetings with Kim by referring to "a very interesting couple of days." The early schedule leaves plenty of room for instant reunions.

In dribbling out some specifics, the White House confirmed that the opening Trump-Kim meeting is set for 9 a.m. Tuesday, Singapore time — 9 p.m. ET Monday in the USA. The session will be at the Capella Hotel on Sentosa Island, just off the Singapore mainland.

The president is scheduled to arrive in Singapore on Sunday night, local time, leaving all day Monday for potential events. The schedule is blank after the meeting Tuesday morning, leaving open the possibility of more sessions in the afternoon or even on Wednesday.

On the other hand, Trump said he would walk out of the meeting with Kim if he didn't see progress on the nuclear question.

Who will be with Trump?

National security adviser John Bolton was absent when Trump met at the White House last week with a top Kim aide. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has publicly negotiated the summit, including two meetings with Kim himself.

Bolton has been critical of North Korea and vice versa, but the national security adviser is slated to be in Singapore.

Trump announced the summit June 12 in Singapore via a tweet May 10. He canceled it two weeks after protesting critical comments by North Korea, then reinstated the meeting eight days later after conciliatory gestures by Kim's government.

It's unusual to put together a meeting like this on the fly, some analysts said. Most high-profile summits are tightly scripted well in advance.

"In this case, no one really knows if (Trump is) going to follow the script into the meeting," said Thomas Wright, a senior fellow with the Washington-based Brookings Institution. "So much is contingent on how he feels and the chemistry in the room."

Secrecy not unusual

"The public and media always want to know more about important security negotiations, especially when it involves unpredictable interlocutors likes President Trump and Chairman Kim who don’t follow conventional norms," said Frank Aum, senior expert on North Korea at the U.S. Institute of Peace.

Public reticence, he said, gives negotiators "the flexibility to raise issues, test positions and float ideas in a way that won’t be immediately criticized or obstructed by outside voices, such as domestic constituencies."

Aum, a former senior adviser on North Korea issues at the Pentagon, said there should be more disclosure after the summit, whatever happens.

"It’s important for the two sides to face the press and share as much information as possible about what was discussed and agreed to so that the public can understand, vet and weigh in on any important decisions or outcomes," he said.

During his presidential campaign, Trump frequently invoked the virtues of unpredictability, even in foreign policy.

“I don’t want people to know exactly what I’m doing — or thinking," Trump said in a campaign book called Crippled America. "I like being unpredictable. It keeps them off balance.”