Early on Thursday morning — or rather, very late Wednesday night — I started my car and drove to Andrews Air Force Base near Washington, D.C. Some 150 journalists from across the world were there, standing on the cold concrete expanse of the runway, waiting.

At around 2 a.m., they arrived. First, Vice President Pence landed in a helicopter, and then, a few minutes later, the president and Mrs. Trump arrived in Marine One. Five minutes after that, Secretary of State Pompeo landed in a plane. It doesn’t happen every day, or even every week, that these three are present at the same event. But it isn’t every day that North Korean prisoners come home.

Two large flagpoles were placed on the runway area. At exactly 2:40, the plane carrying the three American civilians released from captivity in North Korea landed. The plane taxied until it stopped next to the flags. This was the diplomatic victory scene that Trump has awaited.

The doors opened, and Trump and his wife climbed the stairs together to meet the three grateful civilians. Then they all descended together. The president approached the journalists, clearly in a jovial mood. “I’m sure that this is a peak rating for three in the morning,” he said, as he expressed his thanks to Kim Jong-un.

“Why do you think he decided to release them from captivity?” one reported shouted at him, trying to be heard over the roar of the Boeing engines that were still running.

“I think he really wants to get something,” Trump replied.

If everything goes well, in another month, on June 12, an event will take place that even Donald Trump admits was delusional just a few weeks ago: The president of the United States and the ruler of North Korea, Kim Jong-un, will meet for a summit. The events of this past Thursday, when the three prisoners were released, was sort of a “down payment” from the North Korean dictator, en route to a meeting that will be watched by the entire world.

The historic event offers many opportunities, as well as risks. American officials fear that this is just another instance of North Korea drawing out negotiations while continuing to build its nuclear program. The White House and the State Department are well aware of this and have made it clear to the North Koreans that Trump will not travel to Singapore, the site of the summit, for a photo-op.

Trump Meets Kim

Opportunities

• Denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula and removing the threat of an atomic North Korea
• Proving Trump’s “peace from power” doctrine, which will also shape policy toward Iran
• Cooling the global arms race and aiding the global economy

Risks

• Legitimizing a dictatorial regime that abuses its citizens
• Being duped by North Korea, which maintains an extensive tunnel network that will make it difficult to confirm adherence to any future deal.
• A greater risk of direct war with North Korea if the talks fail

One can already sense the first signs of a compromise in the location selected for the summit, Singapore. Why Singapore?

• It is one of the only countries in the world that maintains ties both with the United States and North Korea.
• Kim Jong-un’s plane can’t reach a meeting site in Europe. Even the relatively short distance — 4,700 kilometers — to Singapore, will require a refueling stop, reportedly in Vietnam.
• It’s a city-state with very rigid security. It’s considered one of the safest cities in Asia and often hosts international conferences.

(Originally featured in Mishpacha, Issue 710)