Live updates: North Korea commits to complete denuclearisation of Korean peninsula

Japan's PM Shinzo Abe hails summit in Singapore, calls it 'first step.'

India welcomes the United States - DPRK Summit held in Singapore. This is a positive development. India has always supported all efforts to bring about peace and stability in the Korean Peninsula through dialogue and diplomacy: MEA

"Anyone can make war but only the most courageous can make peace," says Trump and adds that current sanctions on North Korea will remain for the time being.

"We will be stopping the war games (with South Korea). We shall save us a tremendous amount of money, a lot of money, unless and until we see that future negotaitions (with North Korea) are not going along as they should. I want to get our soldiers out, wanna get our soldiers back home. We have, right now, 32,000 soldiers in South Korea and I would like to be able to bring them back home. But that's not the part of the equation right now. I hope at some point it will be."

-- Trump

Did you know? Kim's luggage to Singapore includes a portable toilet because he reportedly does not use restrooms which have previously been used.

Media reports also suggest that North Korean officials do not want Kim's excreta to be 'stolen' because it could be examined to find out details about his medical history.

Trump and Kim will soon address members of the press.

Click here for the full text of the document signed by Trump and Kim.

The document signed between US and North Korea has four major highlights. Click here for the precise details.

Details of the document signed between Trump and Kim are now emerging:

Kim has committed to complete denuclearisation  of Korean peninsula.

US has committed to 'security guarantees'.

AFP reports that China has hailed the talks between Trump and Kim. 

"The fact that the two leaders can sit together and have equal talks has important and positive meaning, and is creating a new history," Foreign Minister Wang Yi reportedly told members of the press.

Fox News reports that Kim has left the historic summit along with Trump after signing a historic document - details of which are still awaited.

I learnt a lot about Kim today, he loves his country very much. We will surely continue having more meetings and talks.

-- Donald Trump

 

#WATCH: US President Donald Trump & North Korean leader Kim Jong Un shake hands after signing 'comprehensive document' at #SingaporeSummit. pic.twitter.com/YUxdWDWsgO

— ANI (@ANI) June 12, 2018

 

Trump says he expects demilitarization process to begin very quickly, reports Reuters. He also says that this is the first of many meetings with Kim and that both leaders will ensure peace and order is maintained.

Reuters reports that Trump has officially extended an invite to Kim to visit the United States.

Kim has hailed talks and says the world will see a major change after the signing of the document.

"We have decided to let go of the past."

The document is a comprehensive document. We are both very honoured to sign it: Donald Trump

Details of what the document contains is still awaited.

The wait for the official signing of a document, as referred to by Trump, grows. 

Trump and Kim walk out of a working lunch, assures talks were positive. "They were better than what anybody could have imagined," he tells reporters.

Trump shows off 'The Beast' to Kim. The heavily-armoured limousine which transports the US President is known to be the envy of world leaders.

Will Kim ask for the car in return for North Korea's denuclearization, wonders Twitter!

We'll announce that in a bit: Trump when asked about the document that he and Kim would be signing.

After two rounds of talks, Trump says he is ready to sign document with Kim. An official announcement may now follow.

Trump hails 'really fantastic' meeting with Kim, says 'a lot of progress' made: AFP

Meanwhile, the Chinese are wondering about the exact source of what Ivanka tweeted about the historic summit. Read full story here.

Hey, what's cooking?

Trump, Kim and their respective aides have a scrumptious spread to look forward to as part of the official lunch. According to The Guardian, here's what's on offer on a table decorated with white and green flowers:
 

Starters

Traditional prawn cocktail served with avocado salad

Green mango kerabu with honey lime dressing and fresh octopus

“Oiseon” Korean stuffed cucumber

Main course

Beef short rib confit, served with potato dauphinois and steamed broccolini, red wine sauce on the side

Combination of sweet and sour crispy pork and Yangzhou fried rice with homemade XO chilli sauce

“Daegu jorim” soy braised cod fish with radish, Asian vegetables

Desserts

Dark chocolate tartlet ganache

Haagendazs vanilla ice cream with cherry coulis

Tropezienne

"Many people would think us meeting is like a scene from a science fiction movie!"

Check out the best quotes and the best pics from the historic summit, here

After one-on-one meet only with their respective interpreters, Trump and Kim enter second round of talks - this time with their respective aides.

We overcame all kinds of skepticism and speculations about this summit & I believe that this is good for the peace.

-- Kim Jong-un 

How the world is watching Trump-Kim summit:
 

The historic meeting between Trump and Kim is watched around the world
??Los Angeles, Seoul, Tokyo, Washington DC #AFP pic.twitter.com/Qw68ZtWoDi

— AFP news agency (@AFP) June 12, 2018

There are reports that international markets have firmed up in the early hours of the summit.

So, what do both nations want, rather expect, from one another?

For starters, US has been primarily concerned about what it considers as nuclear proliferation being done illegally by North Korea. A number of missile tests conducted by North Korea in recent months has triggered alarm bells in the US - a country which previously thought claims made by North Korea about its nuclear prowess were baseless. They weren't and many experts feel now that the country is close to developing missiles that could reach the western coast of the US.

So, denuclearization is the primary demand that US has put forth. Dismantle and desist is what US has previously told North Korea and it is something that Trump is likely to repeat. Afterall, North Korea did conduct six nuclear tests in just one month - September of 2017.

Security analysts believe though that behind the smiles and waves, the issue of denuclearization might not sit too well with North Korea - a country that sees its missiles as crucial for its survival. A large part of North Korea's annual budget is dedicated to developing its nuclear weapons and modernising its military. While almost everything is done in complete secrecy, it is mostly known that Pyonyang feels its weapns are a part of its identity.

And what does North Korea expect from the US?

For starters, respect. "Even if a country had a hostile relationship with us in the past, our attitude is that if this nation respects our autonomy... we shall seek normalisation through dialogue," read a recent editorial in a government-controlled media outlet.

North Korea is also, perhaps, expecting tight UN sanctions imposed on it to be relaxed. In return for denuclearization, only relaxed sanctions though is unlikely to figure as a prominent demand. For now, only guessing games are being played about what the real demand might be just in case North Korea does agree to give up its nukes.

Donald Trump says one-on-one meeting with Kim was 'very, very good'. He adds that they have an excellent relationship: Associated Press.

'Terrific' and 'tremendous' - two words that have set the tone for the historic US-North Korea summit between Trump and Kim.

All though has not been this cordial between the two countries and its two leaders.

While the US and North Korea have been bitter enemies for decades, relations nosedived when both Trump and Kim began taking potshots at each other following a number of missile tests by North Korea.

 

Why would Kim Jong-un insult me by calling me "old," when I would NEVER call him "short and fat?" Oh well, I try so hard to be his friend - and maybe someday that will happen!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 12, 2017

 

In January of this year, Trump even said he has his hands on a button for nuclear weapons that are bigger and more powerful than any that North Korea has.
 

North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un just stated that the “Nuclear Button is on his desk at all times.” Will someone from his depleted and food starved regime please inform him that I too have a Nuclear Button, but it is a much bigger & more powerful one than his, and my Button works!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 3, 2018

North Korea hit back at the 'boast' by calling Trump a 'rabid dog'.

Trump to media persons: I think we will have a great discussion and have tremendous success. It is my honour and our countries will have a tremendous relationship, I have no doubt.

Kim to Trump: Old prejudices and practices work as obstacles in our way forward but we have overcome all of that and are here today.

Trump: That's true.

Trump and Kim shaking hands could be a sign of normalisation of relations between the United States and North Korea - two countries that have seen each other with suspicion for decades. Just before the start of the summit, Trump had predicted start of fruitful relations between the two countries.

The moment people were eagerly waiting for has happened - a smile, a nod and a firm handshake as Trump and Kim greet each other for the first time ever. Press cameras go buzzing as the photos would be relayed not just around the world instantly but will re-circulate for years and years - regardless of the outcome of the meeting.

Trump has previously said that the success of the summit would determine if he would extend an invite to Kim Jong-un to come calling at the White House.

This would have been impossible to imagine just a few months back with both leaders trading barbs - prompting many to predict a nuclear war.

Both Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un have arrived in Sentosa Island for their much-awaited meeting.