Retired American professional basketball player Dennis Rodman speaks to the press as he arrives at Changi International airport ahead of US-North Korea summit in Singapore, on June 11, 2018. (AFP PHOTO / ADEK BERRY)
SINGAPORE — Former US basketball star Dennis Rodman flew into Singapore late Monday ahead of at summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korea’s Kim Jong Un, playing down expectations of an immediate breakthrough at the historic meeting.
Rodman, who has struck up an unlikely friendship with the basketball loving North Korean leader, arrived in the city-state some nine hours before Trump meets with Kim in a bid to negotiate an end to a decades-old nuclear stand-off.
He said he expected the Trump-Kim summit to “go fairly well,” but added “people should not expect too much for the first time.”
“I’m just happy to be a part of it,” he told reporters at Changi Airport.
“I think that I brought awareness to a lot of things around the world and I think North Korea has given a lot of people the opportunity to do this conference now and I hope it’s a success.
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This combination of pictures shows a file photo taken on June 11, 2018 of US President Donald Trump (L) during his meeting with Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong (not pictured) at The Istana, the official residence of the prime minister, in Singapore; and a file image of North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un (R) during his meeting with the Singaporean leader the day before on June 10, 2018, in Singapore. (AFP PHOTO / SAUL LOEB AND ROSLAN RAHMAN)
“Who knew this would have happened five to six years ago… It’s exciting to be a part of it.”
Rodman, sporting a black t-shirt advertising a cryptocurrency he is involved with, said he was unsure whether he would get to meet with Kim — a man he has previously described as a “friend for life.”
“Every time I see him it’s always a surprise. So maybe tomorrow it’s the same thing. Maybe it’s a surprise I’ll see him tomorrow before he leaves,” he said.
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Rodman has made five trips to Pyongyang since Kim took power.
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