President Donald Trump will meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Singapore next week, but the U.S. will not be covering the costs of Kim’s stay, the Department of State revealed Tuesday.
“The United States Government is not paying for the North Korean delegation to stay. We’re not paying for their expenses,” State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert explained. The summit is being planned by the White House with State Department support. White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders “has been clear that [the North Koreans have] not asked other countries to pay for this,” she added.
The Trump administration has repeatedly stated that North Korea will not receive any financial concessions until it takes concrete and verifiable steps towards denuclearization.
Speculation that the U.S. is considering paying Kim’s hotel bill began with a Washington Post report earlier in June. (RELATED: Trump’s Trying To Figure Out How To Cover Kim Jong Un’s Hotel Bill In Singapore: Report)
“The prideful but cash-poor pariah state requires that a foreign country foot the bill at its preferred lodging: the Fullerton,” The Post reported Saturday, adding that a presidential suite at this five-star hotel can run for more than $6,000 a night. Interestingly, while the U.S. is not footing the bill, groups like the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons have reportedly offered to cover the relevant costs for the North Koreans, although doing so might be considered a sanctions violation.
Sanders revealed Tuesday that the Trump-Kim summit will be held at the luxurious Capella Hotel on Sentosa Island. “We thank our great Singaporean hosts for their hospitality,” she tweeted.
Negotiations between the two leaders at the unprecedented meeting, recently salvaged after being scrapped during a period of renewed tension, are expected to focus on denuclearization and possibly the end of the Korean War. “We talked about ending the war,” Trump said after his recent meeting with Kim’s right-hand man, Kim Yong Chol.
The results of the summit are anyone’s guess, and the State Department is refusing to speculate. Secretary of Defense James Mattis recently said that he anticipates a “bumpy road.” (RELATED: Mattis Warns Of ‘Bumpy Road’ To North Korea Negotiations)
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