Trump arrives in Singapore ahead of critical summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un

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Key moments on the road to the Trump-Kim summit

We'll examine the Trump administration's relations with North Korea with Drew Berquist, founder and editor-in-chief of Ops-Lens.

Embarking on what he has called a "mission of peace," President Trump landed Sunday evening at Singapore's Paya Lebar Airbase for a historic summit with North Korean autocrat Kim Jong Un.

Asked by a reporter on the tarmac how he was feeling about the summit after landing in Air Force One, Trump replied: "Very good."

Trump was met at the runway by Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. His high-stakes meeting with Kim is scheduled for 9 a.m. local time Tuesday, or 9 p.m. ET.

A private jet carrying Kim had landed just hours earlier amid huge security precautions on the city-state island. His motorcade was seen speeding through the streets of Singapore -- a rare sight for the reclusive leader who rarely travels abroad.

Kim traveled in a massive limousine, two large North Korean flags fluttering on the hood, surrounded by other black vehicles with tinted windows and bound for the luxurious and closely guarded St. Regis Hotel.

Trump was joined on Air Force One by a stable of key advisers, including National Security Adviser John Bolton, White House Chief of Staff John Kelly, and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

Air Force One arrived in Singapore at 8:21 p.m. local time from Canada, where Trump left the G7 summit after a tense meeting with other world leaders on international economic policy and tariffs.

But over the weekend, Trump sounded a positive note on his upcoming meeting with Kim. No sitting U.S. president has ever met with the leader of North Korea.

"It's unknown territory in the truest sense, but I really feel confident," Trump told reporters Saturday. "I feel that Kim Jong Un wants to do something great for his people and he has that opportunity and he won't have that opportunity again."

"It's unknown territory in the truest sense, but I really feel confident."

— President Donald Trump

Trump made it clear, however, that the stakes are high, even as he said he believes "North Korea will be a tremendous place" if it makes the right decisions.

"It’s a one-time shot and I think it's going to work out very well," he said.

Pompeo told reporters last week that Kim has personally assured him that he wants to rid the Korean Peninsula of nuclear weapons -- which the White House has called an essential, take-it-or-leave it goal of the summit.

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But there has been a flurry of speculation in recent weeks as to what, exactly, may come of the historic meeting.

North Korea has said it's willing to deal away its entire nuclear arsenal if the United States provides it with a reliable security assurance and other benefits. But many, if not all analysts, say that this is highly unlikely, given how hard it has been for Kim to build his program and that the weapons are seen as the only protection he has.

Any nuclear deal will hinge on North Korea's willingness to allow unfettered outside inspections of the country's warheads and radioactive materials, much of which is likely kept in a vast complex of underground facilities.

Another possibility from the summit is a possible deal to end the Korean War. North Korea has long demanded a treaty that may be aimed at getting U.S. troops off the Korean Peninsula and, eventually, paving the way for a North Korean-led unified Korea.

"It's a time for optimism," former White House Communications Director Anthony Scaramucci said on "Fox and Friends" Sunday, as Trump's motorcade left the airport in Singapore.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.