Trump on North Korean meeting: A deal is ‘very much in the making’

President Trump on Friday pledged that a planned meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un would happen at an undetermined time and place and signaled a deal “is very much in the making.”

His tweet came hours after White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders told reporters in a press briefing that the meeting would be dependent on North Korea taking “concrete and verifiable steps.”

“The deal with North Korea is very much in the making and will be, if completed, a very good one for the World,” Trump tweeted. “Time and place to be determined.”

The deal with North Korea is very much in the making and will be, if completed, a very good one for the World. Time and place to be determined.

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 9, 2018

The White House announced late Thursday that Trump would accept an invitation to meet with the North Korean leader sometime before May. The announcement stunned many because it did not include a reference to preconditions for the historic meeting.

{mosads}But Sanders said Friday that North Korea would have to take “concrete” steps to match their “promises.”

“This meeting won’t take place without concrete actions that match the promises that have been made by North Korea,” she said.

She did not specify what the conditions would have to be. South Korean officials said that North Korea would suspend its ballistic missile testing operations in hopes of opening the talks.

Sanders also declined to say directly whether it was possible the meeting would fall through, saying, “A lot of things are possible.”

Trump tweeted Thursday night that “sanctions will remain until an agreement is reached” over North Korea’s nuclear program, saying that Kim discussed “denuclearization” with South Korean officials and would not test missiles during talks.