Here's where the two leaders could come to terms of agreement.
One near-term objective that has some potential of success would be if Kim agreed to a verifiable removal of all long-range missiles from the North's inventories in exchange for limited sanctions relief, which would eliminate the threat of nuclear attack on the U.S. mainland, while promising to continue long-term negotiations towards denuclearization.
In this way, both sides come away with something, the talks continue, and the risk of war is further decreased.
Critically, the United States holds most of the cards. The U.S. can comfortably wait out years of tough negotiations to reach a mutually agreeable outcome, because our military deterrent can keep the country safe indefinitely.
But we must realize that we can't force Kim to denuclearize short of launching a catastrophic war (which would be devastating for American security and prosperity), and we should not push Kim into a corner where he feels he must use his weapons.
President Trump has pushed aggressive diplomacy with our allies, regional powers, and with North Korea directly with a view to ensure America's continued national security and economic prosperity.
If the discussions eventually result in a denuclearized peninsula, he will have achieved a truly historic outcome. But the comforting news for America and our allies is that Trump can ensure, indefinitely, the security of our nation and regional allies regardless of what Kim may eventually do.
Commentary by Daniel L. Davis, a senior fellow for Defense Priorities and a former Lt. Col. in the U.S. Army who retired in 2015 after 21 years, including four combat deployments. Follow him on Twitter @DanielLDavis1.
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