Door already ajar ahead of summit, US may struggle to isolate N Korea again

Trump has himself said he doesn't want to use the term "maximum pressure" any more because of improving relations with North Korea

Across the region, there are signs that US President Donald Trump's campaign of "maximum pressure" on Pyongyang to give up its nuclear weapons is weakening ahead of his summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Singapore on Tuesday.

 

Trump, along with leaders like South Korea's President Moon Jae-in, have credited the pressure campaign with bringing Kim to the negotiating table through a combination of international sanctions, political isolation, and threats of military action.

 

However, unless