kim and don

Don and Kim don't want war but their impulsive personalities actually make it possible for a catastrophocally rash misjudgment. Russia (and China) are going to act all growly but aren't going to do anything. North Korea represents the most exciting opportunity they've had in decades to push the US off the Korean peninsula. They are going to stall for time and hope North Korea becomes such a credible nuclear power that the US can no longer threaten unilateral action in that area.

My gut feel is that it'll be South Korea that folds first, calling off joint war exercises with the US in exchange for Russian and Chinese guarantees of protection from the North. When I think about it, South Korea really has no allies it feels it can rely on besides Russia. They don't trust Trump not to land them in war, they sure as hell don't want to fight with the Japanese, who they hate more than North Korea lol. Putim has inserted himself as the sane voice in that situation, incredibly.

South Korea's economy is practically dependent on China, and half the population wants an end to the war with their brothers and sisters (literally) in the North. Hell, they are still sending them billions in aid to stop the North from collapsing, they don't want North Korean refugees anymore than China or Japan, or anyone else in that region. They aren't going to want to sacrifice their country to prove a US point, especially not for Trump.