US President Donald Trump does not wish to provide his South Korean and Japanese allies with a seat at the much-anticipated talks with North Korea, US media reported.
A US administration official told The Washington Post that South Korea’s President Moon Jae-in and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe were eager to have a role in the summit, but as of last week the United States wanted to keep it limited to Trump and Kim.
"The president is trying to keep them at arm’s length," the official said, referring to the two Asian leaders, as quoted by the paper.
The publication said this approach reflected Trump’s reliance on his deal-making expertise and the president’s belief he could establish a better rapport with the North’s Kim Jong-un if he acted alone.
South Korean officials said, in their turn, a three-party summit needed a go-ahead from both Washington and Pyongyang. If granted a seat, Moon would reportedly arrive in Singapore a day after the June 12 meeting.