The top admiral overseeing the U. S. military in the Asia-Pacific region warned Thursday not to be “overly optimistic” about the outcome of President Trump’s meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
The top admiral overseeing the U. S. military in the Asia-Pacific region warned Thursday not to be “overly optimistic” about the outcome of President Trump ’s meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
“As we go into this, I think we can’t be overly optimistic on outcomes,” Adm. Harry Harris, commander of U. S. Pacific Command, told the Senate Armed Services Committee. “We’ll just have to see where it goes, if and when we have the summit.”
Last week, a South Korean official announced from outside the White House that Trump accepted Kim’s offer to meet face to face.
In a meeting with a South Korean delegation, officials said Kim had offered to put North Korea’s nuclear program on the table, as well as stop nuclear and missile testing during talks and not raise objections to upcoming U. S.-South Korean military exercises.
The Trump administration has pledged to continue the so-called maximum pressure campaign on North Korea as it pursues talks and said Trump’s goal remains the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula.
If Trump follows through with the summit, it would be the first time a sitting U. S. president has met with a North Korean leader.
In Thursday’s hearing, Harris underscored the unprecedented nature of the situation.
