Envoys from North Korea, South Korea and the US jaw-jaw in Finland

Diplomats from the two Koreas and the US engaged in a flurry of diplomatic discussions yesterday. This is despite the fact that nothing as yet has been confirmed as regards details of a planned summit between Kim Jong-un and Donald Trump.

There are reports that the US team is made up of academics and retired diplomats.  However, the three governments have declined to give any details about the purpose of the talks.

The timing of the talks nevertheless suggests that they are connected to Mr Trump’s announcement this month that he has accepted an invitation to meet Mr Kim, at a “time and place to be determined.”

Yesterday, the South Korean foreign minister, Kang Kyung-wha, spoke on CBS News’ Face the Nation. He noted that Mr Kim had “in effect” met a condition for talks by making a commitment “in clear terms” to denuclearisation. “He’s given his word,” he said.