Politics
Kim’s Peace Push Gives Trump Leverage to Finally Win Concessions
- North Korean leader holding up talks over peace declaration
- Second chance for U.S. president to win real concessions
Donald Trump with Kim Jong Un in Singapore on June 12.
Photographer: Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images
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Three months after U.S. President Donald Trump’s historic handshake with Kim Jong Un, the North Korean leader is holding up talks over one consequential demand: a declaration ending the Korean War.
For Trump, the request presents a dilemma. Granting it could guarantee himself another headline-grabbing moment to play the peacemaker weeks before a pivotal midterm election. Withholding it could give the U.S. a second chance to win real concessions in its goal of eliminating the regime’s nuclear threat.