 US President Donald Trump and DPRK Chairman Kim Jong Un meets in Hanoi on February 27, 2019 (Photo: VNA)
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In an interview with Fox News Channel on Thursday, he admitted that he wasn’t satisfied with the meeting and perhaps DPRK Chairman Kim Jong Un also wasn’t satisfied. Although the two sides enjoy a good relationship, he decided this wasn’t the right time to sign something so they’ll see what happens in the future.
The two sides had different explanations as to why they were not able to reach a deal. Trump told the press right after he left the negotiations with Kim that Pyongyang wanted all sanctions to be lifted. But speaking to the press on Thursday midnight, DPRK Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho said his country did not seek a complete removal of all sanctions, but only partial relief, in exchange for DPRK’s complete dismantling of all nuclear material production facilities in the Yongbyon area.
President Trump also explained to Fox News that Pyongyang only wanted to denuclearize particular areas, which isn’t good enough in his eyes. “Well, they wanted to de-nuke certain areas,” Trump said. “The sanctions are there and I didn’t want to give up the sanctions, unless we had a real programme. And they’re not ready for that and I understand that fully, I really do,” he said.
Analysts described the 2nd DPRK-US summit as laying the foundation for future progress.
Chairman of South Korea’s Sejong Institute Paik Hak Soon said that it’s of great importance that the two leaders agreed to sit down for one-on-one talk even though they did not reach a deal, adding that this would contribute to the future denuclearization process and removal of sanctions .
David Kim of Stimson Research Institute in the US said relations between President Trump and Chairman Kim have just begun and are expected to progress with various emotions. He added that positive outcomes may be on the horizon provided both sides respect their commitments.