Is this the beginning of the end of the Korean crisis? For the past year, tensions on the Korean peninsula have been building steadily, as North Korea’s nuclear weapons programme has advanced rapidly and the Trump administration has responded with threats of “fire and fury”.

But this week there has been a diplomatic breakthrough — with North Korea and South Korea staging their first direct talks in more than two years. The discussions appear to have gone well. North Korea will now be sending athletes to the Winter Olympics in South Korea next month. And further talks on military issues are planned.

Exploratory negotiations of this sort should be a vital part of moving away from nuclear brinkmanship. Nonetheless, considerable caution is still in order.