Trump meets Lee Hsien Loong
US President Donald Trump met with Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong in the Istana, the office of the President of the Republic of Singapore, on Monday.
Trump and his delegation arrived at the Istana at around 11:45 am. Trump did not talk to the press going into the meeting or entering into a dining room for a working lunch. But Trump was heard thanking the Singaporean side after being seated at the lunch table. The lunch is expected to end around 2 pm local time.
On Sunday evening, Kim Jong-un, leader of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, also met Lee Hsien Loong for about 30 minutes at the Istana and thanked Lee for hosting the summit.
The Trump-Kim summit will cost Singapore about $20 million and Prime Minister Lee has said that “it is a cost we are willing to pay,” describing it as a good publicity for Singapore. Security costs will account for half of that spending.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, White House National Security Advisor John Bolton and White House Chief of Staff John Kelly and Press Secretary Sarah Sanders were among the US delegates at the lunch.
On Monday morning, US and DPRK diplomats were still meeting at the Ritz-Carlton hotel in Singapore in a bid to reach a draft agreement ahead of the historic summit and first meeting between a sitting US president and DPRK leader to be held on Tuesday morning.
The DPRK’s Korean Central News Agency reported Monday morning that the two leaders will discuss peace and denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.
