President Donald Trump announced in a letter Thursday that he would be withdrawing from the planned June 12 summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.
North Korea has taken center stage in recent months following the possibility that the rogue nation was willing to talk denuclearization. But the lead-up to the talks has been rocky in recent weeks, with Kim threatening to back out. Trump responded to a recent statement from the country by officially withdrawing from the talks himself.
“I was very much looking forward to being there with you,” Trump said in the letter. “Sadly, based on the tremendous anger and open hostility displayed in your most recent statement, I feel it is inappropriate, at this time, to have this long-planned meeting. Therefore, please let this letter serve to represent that the Singapore summit, for the good of both parties, but to the detriment of the world, will not take place.”
North Korea seemed willing to cooperate as talks about lifting sanctions and denuclearizing started to look like a genuine possibility. The two world leaders even were scheduled to meet in Singapore for the summit, but the president opted out for now after a North Korean official bashed Vice President Mike Pence and threatened a nuclear showdown, as ABC News reported earlier.
“I felt a wonderful dialogue was building up between you and me, and ultimately, it is only that dialogue that matters,” Trump continued. “Some day, I look very much forward to meeting you. In the meantime, I want to thank you for the release of the hostages who are now home with their families. That was a beautiful gesture and was very much appreciated.”
But the door doesn’t appear to be completely closed, either. Trump ended his letter by inviting Kim to call or write if things change. He added that the world and North Korea have lost a great opportunity for peace. The president has discussed the virtue of being able to talk away from deals when negotiating.
Trump has deployed what he refers to as a “maximum pressure” campaign against North Korea. The idea is to work with allies to put trade sanctions and other restrictions on the country to force them to denuclearize.
North Korea has in the past signed agreements but then ignored their terms after receiving benefits provided by the deals, including the lifting of sanctions. Trump appears to be taking that lesson into consideration in his approach to the North Korea problem.
Connor Wolf covers Congress and national politics and can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter.
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