Trump–Kim summit in 2026: a White House tactical objective complicated by Chinese intervention

On December 16, 2025, the Korea National Diplomatic Academy (KNDA) under the South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs published a prognostic report, according to which a meeting between Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un may take place in 2026.

The basis for this is the presence of corresponding political will on the part of President Lee Jae-myung, as well as the leadership of the U.S. and the DPRK.

The report also notes that the time for such a meeting could be the period from March to May, when President Trump will be on a visit to the PRC.

At the same time, this KNDA forecast assumes that bilateral diplomacy between South Korea and the DPRK will remain at the lowest level—at least until the end of Russia's war in Ukraine.