Trump and Kim Jong Un will meet alone — with no one but their translators present

President Trump will meet one-on-one with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Singapore on Tuesday, with only their translators present, the White House announced Monday. Later, the two leaders will participate in an expanded bilateral meeting and a working lunch, with the events beginning at 9 a.m. local time in Singapore on Tuesday, or 9 p.m. Eastern on Monday.

The White House also confirmed that the summit will not be extended, and that Trump will depart from Singapore at 8 p.m. local time on Tuesday. "The discussions between the United States and North Korea are ongoing, and have moved more quickly than expected," the White House said in a statement. CNN's John Berman responded to the news that Trump was leaving earlier than expected by tweeting: "Is this trying to set stage for big 'surprise' if they extend talks an extra day? Or responding to sense they already don't know that they like what they are going to get?"

As negotiators worked on the agenda ahead of the summit, Trump said he believed the unprecedented meeting of the two countries' leaders would "work out very nicely." The president has also said he would know as soon as the meeting started whether Kim was serious about denuclearization.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up