Kim summit: Trump meets Singapore PM Lee, thanks him for hospitality

After North Korean leader Kim Jong-un met Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Sunday, June 10, it was US President Donald Trump's turn to hold talks with the host on Monday, June 11.

According to Singapore's Straits Times, Trump thanked Lee for Singapore's hospitality in organising the summit and said he appreciated its "hospitality, professionalism and friendship".

During their working lunch at Istana, the official residence and office of the president of Singapore, Trump said his meeting with Kim on Tuesday, June 12, "can work out very nicely" before thanking Lee.

The two leaders held a one-on-one meeting before lunch time and spoke on a wide array of global and regional developments, Singapore's foreign affairs ministry informed, the Times said.

Singapore is one of the US's closest allies in Southeast Asia.

"President Trump thanked Prime Minister Lee for Singapore's hosting of the US-Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) Summit. President Trump also expressed the US' continued commitment to engage the region and his support for Singapore's chairmanship of Asean," a statement by the minister said.

Trump on the occasion also accepted the invitation for a state visit to the city-state from his Singaporean counterpart Halimah Yacob in November this year to attend the sixth Asean-US Summit and 13th East Asia Summit, the Times cited the ministry as saying.

Singapore is the current seat of the Asean or Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

Trump's last meeting with Lee took place in October last year when the latter paid an official visit to Washington.