Trump Seeks Diplomatic Success in Upcoming Summit with South Korean President Lee

Washington: U.S. President Donald Trump may be aiming for a diplomatic win in his upcoming summit with South Korean President Lee Jae Myung, following his recent unsuccessful meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, a U.S. expert suggested.According to Yonhap News Agency, Victor Cha, president of the Geopolitics and Foreign Policy Department at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), discussed the situation during a CSIS podcast. Trump is scheduled to meet with Lee at the White House next Monday after failing to secure a deal with Putin concerning the war in Ukraine last week. Cha noted that Trump likely desires success in the upcoming summit, as he is not fond of consecutive failures.Cha highlighted that South Korea has already made significant commitments, referencing last month's trade deal in which Seoul agreed to invest $350 billion in the U.S., among other contributions. He described Trump's summit with Putin in Alaska as "not really a big win" and compared it to the no-deal summit between Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Hanoi in February 2019.Following his discussions with Putin at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Trump stated that while both sides agreed on many points, they had not reached a consensus on several significant issues. Trump emphasized, "There is no deal until there is a deal."Cha remarked on the no-deal summit with Kim Jong-un, noting that the two leaders did not even share a scheduled lunch, drawing parallels to Trump's early departure from the Hanoi summit after declaring the absence of a deal.During the podcast, Sydney Seiler, a former intelligence officer at the U.S. National Intelligence Council, anticipated a positive rapport between Lee and Trump. He suggested they will likely "strike it off at a certain level" or at least project an image of Lee as a viable counterpart to the U.S. president.Seiler dismissed concerns about potential mishaps similar to those witnessed during Trump's February summit with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. He expressed confidence in Trump's respect for South Korea and recognition of President Lee's political journey.However, Seiler warned that China-related issues could emerge as a "black swan" during the summit. He speculated that if Trump seeks more public declarations from Lee regarding countering Chinese economic and military threats, it could push President Lee beyond his prepared talking points, challenging his alignment with the U.S.