The summit meeting between US President Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un, the leader of North Korea, is still very much in the cards but the venue is yet to be finalized. The latest information is that it could be in the city of Ulaanbaatar, in Mongolia, which is a neutral country. The reason for this is that Kim will travel in his own plane which is an IL-62, but it is not geared up to undertake long-distance flights. Daily Mail UK reports that the private jet of Russian origin might have to stop for refueling if it has to reach far-off destinations.

Hence, his planners want to have a venue that will be nearer home within a 2,000-mile radius of Pyongyang.

Is it a panic situation?

In the opinion of experts, the Russian built IL-62 is supposed to have a factory specified range of 10,000 kilometers or 6,215 miles. Therefore, the argument of a short range is untenable. It seems North Korea has other aircraft, also of Russian origin, in its inventory, like the Tupolev Tu-204, that have a range of up to 3,600 miles. Obviously, there are other factors at work before Kim Jong-un and Donald Trump can meet for the summit. The revised location could be the city of Ulaanbaatar, the capital of Mongolia. This city is not new to summits – it has hosted a number of talks between Japanese officials and the North Korean government.

It seems in the month of March, Mongolia's former president, Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj, had extended invitations to both Trump and Kim to come to the capital. According to the US authorities, the much-awaited summit could happen within the next six weeks.

What will be the outcome

The first known foreign trip of Kim Jong-un, after taking over the reins, was his visit to Beijing to meet Xi Jinping.

Kim had used a train for the journey. Donald Trump had also visited Beijing in November to a great reception. However, the China-US relations have changed in the intervening period and a summit there is ruled out. The US president has dropped hints about a few probable venues. There are five locations, but none of them are in the United States.

He has indicated that the meeting could be in late May or early June and has kept his fingers crossed about the outcome. The main agenda will be denuclearization of North Korea, but both the leaders are unpredictable and they must agree to an amicable settlement.

North Korea has devoted decades of its energies to building nuclear weapons and is believed to have a large arsenal. It has tested them on a regular basis and has proved to the world that it has become a force to reckon with. The question is – can Donald Trump drive a hard enough bargain to blunt the cutting edges of Pyongyang.
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